Lemierre’s Syndrome after Wisdom Teeth Removal

An interesting article titled “Lemierre’s Syndrome Following Extraction of Wisdom Teeth,” appears in the October 20, 2020 edition of the Cureus Journal of Medical Science (written by A. Keshary and M. Hagan, 12(10): e11061). The article describes a case of an 18 year old man who had his wisdom teeth extracted and then developed Lemierre’s Syndrome which rarely occurs after wisdom tooth removal but is is known to affect young and healthy adults; See Near Death Wisdom Teeth Removal Experience where another case has been discussed on this site in the past. Lemierre’s syndrome is a serious bloodstream infection typically caused by Fusobacterium necrophorum. It has a death rate of around 18% and thus if detected needs to be quickly treated with antibiotics. Very few cases of Lemierre’s syndrome after wisdom teeth surgery have occurred since antibiotics became readily available. In the … Read more

Wisdom Tooth Extraction Leads to Giant Lung Abscess

A unique complication of wisdom teeth removal is described in the article titled “A 45-Year-Old Man With Acute Chest Pain, Fever, and Dyspnea After Tooth Extraction” appearing in the December 2021 edition of Chest written by Tashiro et al. (issue 160, no. 6, pp. e623 – e628). In the article, discussion is made of a healthy 45-year-old man who experienced respiratory failure due to a giant lung abscess that formed as a result of oral bacteria after a wisdom tooth extraction. Two days after having a wisdom tooth removed, the 45-year-old man in Japan developed chest pain on his right side. Two weeks after the wisdom tooth extraction, the man went to a hospital because he had a fever, difficulty breathing, and had a cough and purulent sputum. The man was in good health and visited a dentist twice a … Read more

Billie Eilish and Kaia Gerber have Wisdom Teeth Removed

Over the years various celebrities who have had wisdom teeth extracted have been discussed in various posts on this site. See for example the posts Brad Pitt, Cara Delevingne, and Russell Wilson Latest Celebrities to have Wisdom Teeth Removed in 2021 and Celebrities who have had Wisdom Teeth Extracted. Two other celebrities yet to be shared on this site who have had wisdom teeth extracted in recent years include Billie Eilish and Kaia Gerber. Billie Eilish Billie Eilish is a famous American musician. She had her wisdom teeth extracted in 2017. She has shared some clips of herself after the surgery where she appears out of it. These clips of herself recovering from the procedure while very out of it have of course generated many views. In December 2020, she shared a new clip in which she sits in the … Read more

Wisdom Teeth Removal Leads to Persistent Headache and Viral Encephalitis

A person in Scotland had wisdom teeth removed that resulted in an infection. This lead to a persistent headache that was later diagnosed as viral encephalitis but initially missed. The person who had wisdom teeth removed did not have the proper diagnosis made by both oral and maxillofacial surgeons and when admitted to a hopsital, medics from NHS Fife at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, Scotland. None of the people who treated the person suspected an infection and the person was not given an MRI scan. This lead to encephalitis which is an inflammation of the brain typically caused by an infection. A complaint was submitted to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman for this case and they came out with a decison report that contained a summary of the case and recommendations. The board of NHS Fife where the person was … Read more

Low-Dose Naltrexone as An Alternative to Opioids for Wisdom Teeth Removal

Before on this site numerous posts have discussed how many feel dentists and oral surgeons prescribe (or in the past have prescribed) too many opioids for their patients to help manage pain of dental procedures like wisdom teeth removal, see for example the post Do Oral Surgeons Give Too Many Opioids for Wisdom Teeth Removal?. In recent years there have been investigations into alternatives to opioids for dental procedures and also for chronic pain management when opioids in the past were more regularly prescribed for as well. One such approach is to prescribe a combination of ibuprofen and acetaminophen as discussed in the articles New Research Being Conducted at Rutgers for Opioid Alternatives Could Lead to Less Potential Drug Abuse for those Having Wisdom Teeth Surgery and Reducing Opioids in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Recently, there have been articles and … Read more