wisdom teeth removal

Propofol-Remifentanil Versus Propofol-Ketamine for Third Molar Surgery

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A study titled “Comparison of Propofol-Remifentanil Versus Propofol-Ketamine Deep Sedation for Third Molar Surgery” appears in the 2012 Anesthesia Progress journal. The authors of the study set out to better determine what anesthetic to provide during third molar (aka wisdom teeth) surgery. In the study, two drug combinations for use as deep sedation during oral surgery were evaluated. Patients in a control group received a continuous intravenous infusion of propofol-remifentanil,  and patients in an experimental group received a continuous intravenous infusion of propofol-ketamine. This study was double blind in that neither patients nor surgeons were aware of which treatment was given. In this study, 37 patients  were monitored while sedated for respiratory, heart rate, and blood pressure stability. Emergence from the effects of anesthesia and total recovery time were recorded. In addition, patients and surgeons were both asked to rate … Read more

Some New Wisdom Teeth and Dental Information Websites

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Recently I have come across a few new websites in the dental space and wisdom teeth space on the internet. Update as of June 2019 both of these websites are dead and no longer exist. 1) One of these websites is http://www.teethcenter.com. This site says  “TeethCenter is an organization committed to providing consumers and dentists with an online resource for dental related and news and information. There are many “health” sites on the web, but, not a prominent site dedicated to dental news and information.” The website looks quite nice but it’s articles in terms of quality are the typical. For example, on the page “Should I Have my Wisdom Teeth Pulled,” discussion is made of some reasons for and against wisdom teeth removal but not statistics/data to help aid the reader is presented.  I have provided a lot of … Read more

Wisdom Teeth Removal can Lead to Permanent Numbness and More

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A recent story in the Grimbsy Telegraph titled “£15,000 payout after dental op leaves Grimsby woman with permanent numbness,” describes how a 39 year old woman who had 2 wisdom teeth extracted was left with nerves in her lower jaw severed. The article was written on October, 6, 2012 and is located at http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/15-000-payout-dental-op-leaves-Grimsby-woman/story-17045539-detail/story.html. The woman says her lip turns completely blue in the cold and, at times, she bites her lip without realising until it starts to bleed. She also says “I can be having a drink or eating food and without realising I am dribbling…It is embarrassing when my children have to tell me to wipe my chin as I have food on it, or they tell me to speak properly because my speech is affected.” The woman was awarded £15,000 in an out of court settlement which is … Read more

Reads like a Dentist’s Advertisement

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I periodically like to check out the wisdom tooth page over on Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisdom_tooth Recently I came across the talk page which has an interesting comment near the bottom written on September 3, 2012, “There is very little discussion of how common it is to have wisdom teeth, and how often wisdom teeth pose no problems if left alone. Nor is there adequate discussion of how often extraction is necessary when they do pose problems. Some lip service is paid to it in the “controversy” ghetto, but in the end the discussion of the “controversy” is equivocating and unclear. As a whole, the article conjured up the image of an eager, pushy dentist insisting that, “Yeah, buddy, wisdom teeth are a huge problem! It may not seem like it, but it’s bad – trust me, I know these things – … Read more

Rogue Dentist’s Crusade

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An interesting article appears recently over on Yahoo by Liz Goodwin, December 3, 2012, titled “Rouge dentist’s 30-year crusade against wisdom teeth removal extracts results,” located over at http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/rogue-dentist-30-crusade-against-wisdom-teeth-removal-105243007.html. The article discusses 86 year old (retired) dentist and public health advocate Jay Friedman. I have talked about Dr. Friedman before such as on this post http://blog.teethremoval.com/american-journal-of-public-health-author-jay-w-friedman-is-2009-author-of-the-year/. The article on Yahoo states “Friedman has argued for more than 30 years that removing a young person’s healthy wisdom teeth — called “third molars” by professionals — is an unnecessary and irresponsible practice. …Many dentists and oral surgeons have dismissed him as a traitor and a zealot…” The article discusses how oral surgeons have been angered by Dr. Friedman and have questioned his qualifications. Some say he is biased against wisdom teeth extractions because his aim is to save the insurance industry money. … Read more