Question: I’ve had my chin implant for slightly over a year now (This surgery was not done by Dr. Apostolakis) and it’s had numbness and tightness the entire time. I thought it would eventually get back to normal but it never did. But tonight I was feeling the inside of my mouth and realized I can actually feel the implant from inside my mouth. I can only feel it on the numb side. Does this mean that the implant is too high and is pressing on my mental nerve? Is there any chance that removing it will relieve some of the pressure/tightness/numbness?

Dr A’s Answer: Sorry to hear of your issues. If you have numbness now consistently for a year since your surgery in the pattern of the mental nerve, then clearly the nerve has been compromised by the surgery. It was either damaged during surgery to an extent that it could not recover, or the nerve is being pinched. Removal of the implant may allow a pinched nerve to recover, but this is not guaranteed. Typically, you should not be able to feel the implant when probing the inside of your mouth. The fact that the two sides are different also leads me to believe the implant is malpositioned.

Best Regards,

Dr. A