Wisdom Teeth

Oral Wound Healing Improvement

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Netherlands-based research team’s successful development of a gum tissue for transplantation to aid wound healing in mouth (oral cavity) reconstruction has advanced. Dr. Susan Gibbs says that skin substitutes have been far more advanced than oral gingiva substitutes and up until this study, no oral tissue-engineered products have been available in a clinical setting. The team was the first to develop a same patient full thickness skin substitute “Reconstructive surgery within the oral cavity is required during tumor excision, cleft palate repair, trauma, repair of diseased tissue and for generating soft tissue around teeth and dental implants,” explained Dr. Gibbs. “Drawbacks of using skin as an autograft material in the oral cavity include bulkiness, sweating and hair formation and the limited amount of donor tissue available.” Their current study was aimed at constructing analogous, full-thickness oral substitutes in a similar … Read more

Wisdom Teeth in the News

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Here are a few brief highlights of articles and links to them about wisdom teeth. “Dentists give new Meaning to Military Drills.” This article discusses dental work needed for U.S. soldiers. Soldiers have certain requirements they must meet regarding oral health. “Tooth Truth: Dental Surgery is Not all That Bad.” The author discusses his experience with wisdom teeth removal. He also portrays the near death experiences he has heard from others. (Well you could scroll down this blog to find death experiences… ) “Two Sides Quarrel on Wisdom Teeth.” Discusses the different sides of the wisdom teeth debate. Dr. Jay W. Friedman who leads the charge on stopping useless and uncessary removal of wisdom teeth discusses some of his viewpoints.

12 Million Given After Wisdom Teeth Removal Caused Death

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In New Jersey, a jury has reached a verdict to award over 12 million to the family of 21 year old Francis Keller who had died the morning after his wisdom teeth extractions. The verdict is believed to be one of the largest ever awarded for dental malpractice. The 21 year old man died from suffocation in August of 2005. The morning after the extractions he had trouble breathing due to swelling in his throat. However, it was known that Keller had a genetic immune disorder which caused severe swelling in reaction to trauma. The oral surgeon who extracted the teeth was aware of the immunity disorder and performed the wisdom teeth removal anways. The verdict was obtained by David A. Mazie of the law firm of Mazie Slater Katz & Freeman, LLP. To learn more about the attorney and … Read more

Wisdom Teeth Removal Leaves to Death Two Days After

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Through an email I was saddened to hear about the recent loss and death of a young 21 year old. Her name was Victoria “Tori” Rubino. The article states “Rubino had had her wisdom teeth removed by dentists in her hometown two days before.” The results and reasons surrounding her death are still not clear. Hopefully a reason can be found soon. My website lists other reasons as to why people have died from wisdom teeth removal, although typically it happens more suddenly than several days after the extraction. To learn more visit http://web.bu.edu/today/campus-life/2009/03/09/student-dies-sleep-home

Monkey Stem Cells Stimulate Brain

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Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, have discovered dental pulp stem cells can stimulate growth and generation of several types of neural cells. They suggest dental pulp stem cells show promise for use in cell therapy and regenerative medicine, particularly therapies associated with the central nervous system. Dental stem cells are adult stem cells, one of the two major divisions of stem cell research. Adult stem cells have the ability to regenerate many different types of cells, promising great therapeutic potential, especially for diseases such as Huntington’s and Parkinson’s. Already, dental pulp stem cells have been used for regeneration of dental and craniofacial cells. Yerkes researcher Anthony Chan, DVM, PhD, and his team of researchers placed dental pulp stem cells from the tooth of a rhesus macaque into the hippocampal areas of mice. The dental pulp … Read more