oral surgery

A case of bilateral kissing molars

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An interesting article titled “Bilateral ‘kissing’ molars: A case report” appears in Clinical Case Reports written by Bilal Aslam- Pervez and Emma Carr (2022;10:e06407). The article discusses a case of a 20 year old man who had a very rare bilateral kissing molars impaction. Kissing molars occur the occlusal surfaces of impacted molars are united by the same follicular space and the roots point in the opposite direction. This typically occurs between wisdom teeth and second molars, but can also occur between wisdom teeth and the fourth molar. In the article discussion is made of the 20 year old man who went to a hospital in Scotland complaining of a dull ache for the last year. The patient was healthy but did smoke around 10 cigarettes a day for the last few years. Upon examination a total of 7 teeth … Read more

Using the sedative Remimazolam for oral surgery

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An interesting article titled “Can Remimazolam Be a New Sedative Option for Outpatients Undergoing Ambulatory Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery?” appears in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery written by Zijian Guo and et. al. (Available online 16 September 2022). The article discusses the sedative remimazolam and its possibility to sedate in oral surgery as effectively as midazolam. In the article the authors discuss how patients can receive dental treatment with more comfort using sedation. Midazolam is widely used in oral and maxillofacial surgery but has side effects of increased accumulation and respiratory depression. Remimazolam has similar pharmacological effects to midazolam but has rapid onset, fast metabolism, less potential adverse effects. Remimazolam has a a mean half-life of between 0.5 and two minutes and a terminal half-life in plasma of 37 to 53 minutes.  The authors conducted the first ever … Read more

3D Printed Models for Wisdom Teeth Surgery Planning

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An interesting article titled “Physical Simulation Models in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery: A New Concept in 3-Dimensional Modeling for Removal of Impacted Third Molars,” written by Cervenka et al. appears in the 2019 edition of the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. The article describes creating three-dimensional (3D) printed models for wisdom teeth surgery planning for particular use in residency training. The authors discuss how advances in 3D design and printing along with decreases in costs are making the use of surgical simulation models an option for clinical training. This can have particular use with residency training because of caps on the amount of hours residents can work and increasingly patients not wanting residents to participate in their surgeries. In the article the authors present a design and fabrication of a reusable 3D printed lower jaw model with a reconfigurable … Read more

Brad Pitt, Cara Delevingne, and Russell Wilson Latest Celebrities to have Wisdom Teeth Removed in 2021

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Over the years many celebrities have had wisdom teeth removed, see the posts Kylie Jenner and Sofia Richie Latest Celebrities to have Wisdom Teeth Removed in 2020, Meghan Trainor Has All Four Wisdom Teeth Removed, Celebrities who have had Wisdom Teeth Extracted, and Recent Celebrities to have Wisdom Teeth Removal. Earlier this year in 2021, three big name celebrities had wisdom teeth surgery including Brad Pitt, Cara Delevinge, and Russell Wilson. 1. Brad Pitt Brad Pitt is a famous American actor who has won an Academy award. Brad was spotted in mid April 2021, being wheeled out while sitting in a wheelchair of a medical center in California. According to sources he had wisdom teeth removed. He attempted to hide his appearance so he could not be easily recognized. However, even with doing so of his zip-up hood over his head, a pair of … Read more

Using imaging to map arteries to reduce complications and improve outcomes in oral surgeries

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When oral surgeons are working in the mouth they use the greater palatine artery as a landmark which is important for them to know to avoid damaging any surrounding nerves. There can be a discrepancy of where the surgeon thinks the palatine artery is and where it actually is by up to around 4 to 5 millimeters. This discrepancy is enough to lead to complications and injuries while the surgeon is working in the mouth area. One such complication that could occur is that the greater palatine artery is severed and significant bleeding occurs (hemorrhaging). The greater palatine nerve is also very close to the greater palatine artery and damaging this nerve can lead to potential permanent loss of feeling in parts of the mouth. As a result, oral surgeons tend to avoid any possible locations around where the greater … Read more