Can I Get Nerve Damage Getting A Dental Cleaning After A Chin Implant?

Q: Dr. Eppley: I have a Medpor chin implant. At three months post-op, I went to dentist for regular cleaning. However, my soft tissues are not fully healed with the Medpor chin implant at that time, and when the dentist presses my lips, I felt a sharp pain in my chin. I lost the sensation of my chin immediately. 

Now it’s about 4 month after the dentist visit, one side of my lip still feel kind of numbness. I guess my mental nerves are over-stretched by the dentist. Will the sensation of lip gets back to normal? How long will it take. Is it possible to have a permanent mental nerve damage by regular dental cleaning? Thanks a lot!

A:  I do not think it is possible that permanent nerve damage to a chin implant can occur from a dental cleaning.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana