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

Turning Wisdom Teeth into Gold Necklaces

Nicola Peltz is an American actress known for her roles in the A&E TV drama series Bates Motel and in the movie Transformers: Age of Extinction. She is engaged to Brooklyn Beckham who is the son of English former football (soccer) player David Beckham and English fashion designer Victoria Beckham who by many is best known as the singer Posh Spice in the group Spice Girls. Earlier in 2021, both Nicola and Brooklyn had their extracted wisdom teeth encased in a gold mold and made into a matching necklaces. This was shared by Nicola Petlz on her Instagram. In a March 25, 2021, Intagram story, Nicola wrote, “I got our wisdom teeth made into necklaces @brooklynbeckham you’re my best friend.” On the same day Brooklyn wrote on his Instgram in an Instagram story, “The best gift from my best friend and the … Read more

Woman Shocked after Learning Surgeon who Removed Wisdom Teeth does not like Taylor Swift

Recently, a young woman received viral attention through some TikTok videos she shared about her wisdom teeth surgery. The woman is a big fan of the singer Taylor Swift and was shocked when she found out right after having her wisdom teeth extracted that her oral surgeon does not like Taylor’s music. That text that overlays the video that has since gathered over 3.5 Million views says “me still defending taylor swift w/ my life after getting my wisdom teeth out.” In the video that was shared the young woman is sitting in a dental chair with a wrap around her jaw and appears to be under the affects of anesthesia. She asks her oral surgeon if he played any Taylor Swift during the surgery. The surgeon says “Absolutely not.” A look of horror than appears to cross the woman’s … Read more

Patient Recall During Informed Consent for Wisdom Teeth Surgery

An interesting article titled “Patient Recall of Information on a Third Molar Informed Consent Video,” written by Olsen et al. appears in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in 2017 (vol. 75, pp. 2507-2511). The article sought to explore how much of an informed consent video for wisdom teeth surgery patients remember. The authors were motivated to conduct the study due to how recent court cases and lawsuits have played out. Patients will often deny that certain information was provided to them in an attempt to show malpractice by the surgeon. In most informed consent processes for patients having wisdom teeth removal they view an informed consent video, have a discussion with the surgeon about information provided, and then acknowledge having done so by signing a printed document that discusses the risks and benefits of surgery. Since some of … Read more