Hi Christine. I had a tumor removed from where the wisdom tooth had been, and a modified radical neck dissection, all nearly two years ago. I have some numbness on the right side of my tongue. As Mark says, taste is unimpared, and it is just something one gets used to. As far as grafts, I had a nerve grafted in my shoulder. I had restricted arm motion (but no pain)on the side of the dissection for seven or eight months, then just like magic, one day the nerve kicked in and I had full range of motion restored. I have a degree of numbness, not total, of my ear and neck and jaw/chin area. This, of course, does not show, and now I don't even think about it, having gotten used to it. And I have become much more polite as because of nerve damage, I can no longer stick out my tongue (grin). Keep thinking positively, Christine. It is truly amazing what the body can do and how we can adapt to and overcome changes. Now we need to hear some super denture people chime in.