Sorry to hear.

We take a risk every time we do something. It doesn't mean that you'll absolutely be guaranteed by paying 10x more that you won't have a botched surgery, it's just less likely. Someone would say they are willing to pay 10x more for 2x less the chance, given they had an accident. The problem with that was I don't think the population will be happy adopting an 80 USD toll road and $25 per gallon for 2x less the chance of a car accident, even if that could be done. I think safety tradeoff is easier said than done.

Where did you have it done?

I ask because you did pay 10x more if you had that dentistry work done here in the US and the outcome is as you've described.

Yep, in the U.S. So I suppose the slightly lower risk didn't work out for me, but if I had to advise anyone else on the hypothetical decision, I'd say pay 10x more and get the slightly lower risk. It's not enough money to save given how shitty the consequences can be.

Wow.

I've been advised by a dental surgeon to not take off my wisdom teeth because of this.

Did you receive warnings about it before surgery?

This is a tough one -- inferior alveolar nerve damage is the most common long-term complication in third molar extraction -- I advise about 1% of my patients against extraction based on the proximity of their lower molar roots to this nerve. However, there is great anatomic variation in the course of the IAN such that damage to it can occur even when pre-op radiographs show that there is little risk of hitting it. (Which is to say... SURPRISE, there's a nerve where you didn't expect it!) Sorry to hear it, OP, AND I hope you don't have permanent lingual paresthesia -- having a numb tongue is nearly impossible to acclimate to...

Wisdom tooth removal is no different from any other surgery, and as such you are likely to get the same "blah blah you could even die" speech. I did.