Novocain in ocular nerve is culprit
Question: Recently I had several back teeth crowned. After I was given the Novocain, my right eye suddenly went numb, preventing me from being able to close my eye for more than two hours. This frightened and angered me and forced me to stay home in bed for the rest of the day. What went wrong? - Sue-Ellen, Palm Beach
Answer: This brings us to another installment of "Don’t shoot your dentist." (I have often thought of a reality show about a dental office called: As the Tooth Turns.)The fifth cranial nerve exits the base of your skull and splits into three branches: maxillary, mandibular and ocular. Very often in attempting to numb the sometimes difficult teeth of the posterior mandible (lower jaw), a bit of local anesthesia bathes this ocular branch causing temporary numbness of the muscle that closes the eyelid. It is best to go home and place a wet towel over the eyelid to keep the eye moist. I also recommend the use of OraVerse, an anesthetic reversing agent that your dentist can inject in the mouth which cuts the numbness time in half. For more info on this subject or any other dental topic, contact our office at 239-936-5252.