Right big toe numb for the last 3 years

I am 24 years old and for the last 3 years half of my right big toe has been numb, and part of my left big toe has been numb also.
It is generally painless, but once in a while I will get shooting pains in my toe.
I did have ingrown toe nails on both sides of both toes for some time before I finally got up the courage to have the minor surgery to correct the problem.
My toenails are fine now but the numbness persists.
The numbness began around the same time as my toenail problems, are these two related somehow?
Is there any hope of regaining feeling in my toes?
Is this something I should be worried about?
Any response will be appreciated.
One more thing, when I went for the ingrown nail surgery I asked the podiatrist about the numbness, he seemed very unconcerned and didn’t really answer my questions (he did do a great job on the surgery though, no further problems). Thanks in advance!—-Wendy