Injury to the peripheral sensory branches of the trigeminal nerve (nerves that provide feeling to the face and oral structures) are well known complications of a variety of oral and maxillofacial surgical procedures, including third molar (wisdom teeth) removal, endodontic (root canal) procedures, dental implant placement, facial trauma, and other oral and facial procedures.

A patient with a nerve injury may experience a variety of sensations, such as numbness, tingling, burning, crawling sensations, electric shocks, or hypersensitivity of the affected area. These sensations may interfere with the patient’s normal life activities such as eating, drinking or speaking. Such symptoms, if persistent beyond several months following the initial injury, may indicate a nerve injury that will not resolve on its own and should be evaluated further.

Repair of select nerves in the facial region can be done if the diagnosis is made in a timely fashion, by a leading oral and maxillofacial surgeon with experience safely resolving complex surgery cases, such as our Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon Dr. Bagheri. Dr. Bagheri has trained during his fellowship with microvascular surgeons in conjunction with maxillofacial reconstruction. In addition, he is certified in microsurgery form Emory University, Department of Orthopedic Surgery.

Dr. Bagheri has given several lectures on microneurosurgical repair of nerves in the maxillofacial region, and is currently one of the few surgeons in the South Eastern United States that provides this service.