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Sending Your Extracted Wisdom Teeth into Outer Space

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Many patients who are having wisdom teeth extracted have heard of the option to pay a company to store their wisdom teeth after it has been extracted. This has been covered on this site before such as in the post Storing Wisdom Teeth Stem Cells. The idea is that one day in the future it may be possible to harvest the stem cells in these stored wisdom teeth to help heal damage cells in your body. Some may find this idea futuristic. However, recently a someone has sent their wisdom tooth into space. In an article appearing in the Los Angeles Times titled “Why artist and engineer Xin Liu sent her wisdom tooth into outer space” written by Deborah Vankin (October 28, 2021) a discussion is made of Xin Lui who “ “…packed up her wisdom tooth and sent it … Read more

Computer Assisted Retrieval of Accidentally Displaced Wisdom Teeth

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An article titled “Use of Computer-Assisted Navigation in the Retrieval of Accidentally Displaced Third Molars,” appears in the 2016 Journal of Oral and Maxilofacial Surgery, written by Yi Guo and et al., vol. 74, pp. 889-894. The article describes using a computer to retrieve accidentally displaced mandibular third molars. A total of 12 patients in the study successfully had their roots retrieved. They all healed successfully without complications. In rare cases when performing wisdom teeth surgery, a tooth or a tooth root can be displaced. When they are displaced into difficult to access areas surgery retrieving the displaced molars should be performed by conventional methods which include extending the original operative exposure or planning a new operative approach and then finding and removing the tooth. This surgery can cause severe tissue injury or complications. The paper discusses computer-assisted navigation in … Read more