Wisdom Teeth

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

Combining ibuprofen and acetaminophen for wisdom teeth surgery pain management

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Before on this site the hazards of opioids prescribed for surgeries like wisdom teeth extraction has been discussed. Instead of taking an opioid like Vicodin which contains hydrocodone or another opioid that contains oxycodone an alternative patients may have if their oral surgeon is willing is to take a combination of ibuprofen and acetaminophen. This combination has been discussed in many articles on the past on this site such as Reducing Opioids in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, New Research Being Conducted at Rutgers for Opioid Alternatives Could Lead to Less Potential Drug Abuse for those Having Wisdom Teeth Surgery, and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Current Perspectives on Opioid Prescribing. Patients may have questions about the right dosage level, there side effects, and if they work as well as opioids. According to a white paper by the American Association of Oral … Read more

Wisdom teeth and periodontal disease association in US adults

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An interesting article titled “Wisdom teeth, periodontal disease, and C-reactive protein in US adults” appears in Public Health written by Y. Zhang and et al. (vol. 187, pp. 97-102, 2020). The study sought to evaluate the associations among the presence of wisdom teeth, periodontal disease, and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) in the US adult population. Periodontal disease is a chronic gum disease which has been linked to many systemic diseases. An elevated level of CRP indicates systemic inflammation as it is a sensitive non-specific biomarker and has been linked to risk for cardiovascular disease. The end goal of the study was to generate population-based evidence to inform heart disease prevention and dental care. In the study the authors performed a secondary data analysis using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2009-2010 data from the national cross-sectional survey conducted … Read more

Taking etoricoxib before Wisdom Teeth Surgery to Help Relieve Pain

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An interesting article titled “Does low dose of etoricoxib play pre-emptive analgesic efect in third molar surgery? A randomized clinical trial” written by Long Xie and et al. appears in BMC Oral Health (vol. 21, no. 462, 2021). The article discusses the results of a randomized clinical trial that explored if a preemptive low dose of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) etoricoxib may reduce the need for analgesics after wisdom teeth extraction. The study the authors conducted was designed as randomized, parallel, double-blinded and placebo-controlled and occurred between August 2019 and July 2020. A total of 56 patients were included in the study that met the inclusion criteria and scheduled to have impacted horizontal mandibular wisdom teeth extracted. The authors found that the mean VAS pain score in the etoricoxib group was significantly lower than that in the placebo group … Read more

Dentist Cuts Chunk out of Cheek and Lip while Patient Has Wisdom Teeth Removed

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A 31 year old woman had a chunk of her cheek and lip taken out while having two wisdom teeth extracted in September 2013 in Watford, England. She was left with permanent nerve damage as a result of the chunk of her cheek and lower lip being taken out with a pair of pliers that slipped while the dentist was performing the surgery. She had to have four stitches to repair the damage. The woman stated that she was in the dental chair for over an hour for just one tooth extraction procedure and had to be given anesthesia twice because of the length of the surgery. The reason for the surgery was due to repeated inflammation of the wisdom teeth. She left the dental office bleeding from her cheek. She also experienced pain and swelling and went back to … Read more