Wisdom Teeth

Change in Taste After Wisdom Teeth Surgery

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An interesting article titled “Short-Term Evaluation of Gustatory Changes After Surgical Removal of Mandibular Third Molar—A Prospective Randomized Control Trial,” appears in the 2018 edition of the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (vol. 76, pp. 258-266). The article sought to explore if changes in taste occur after removing wisdom teeth. In the article the authors discuss how damage to the lingual nerve and the loss of the ability to sense taste are complications that can occur after wisdom teeth surgery. The authors devised a study using 60 patients who had impacted wisdom teeth surgically removed. They selected 15 patients in each category of mesioangular, distoangular, horizontal, and vertical impacted wisdom teeth. The patients were evaluated with regards to taste testing before surgery and again 10 days after surgery. In the study each patient was given a sweet, salty, sour, … Read more

Woman who suffers broken jaw after wisdom teeth extraction loses medical malpractice case

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A woman in North Carolina went to a dental practice in October 2016 and was told she needed to her a wisdom tooth extracted. The following month in November 2016 the woman had the surgery performed by an oral surgeon in North Carolina. During the procedure the dentist had difficulty and required the assistance of another dentist at the dental practice. Substantial pressure was placed on the woman’s jaw during the surgery. The dentist told the woman after the surgery that a small piece of bone in her jaw had broken during the surgery. However, the dental records of the two dentist for this visit said ” a “[l]arge portion of [the] left maxillary tuberosity fractured off with [the] tooth during extraction . . . “ After the surgery the woman experienced intense pain throughout her face and jaw. She … Read more

Vertigo After Tooth Removal

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An interesting case report titled “Vertigo after tooth removal” appears in the British Dental Journal written by R. O’Rorke and et al. (vol. 231, no. 3, published August 13, 2021). The article describes a 26 year old woman who experience vertigo after having two teeth surgically extracted. The woman presented to the dentist with bilateral recurrent pericoronitis in relation to distoangularly impacted lower wisdom teeth. The woman had both of these wisdom teeth extracted while under local anesthesia, although there was a four week period of time between each extraction. During a teledentistry visit three days after the second tooth surgery on the lower left side, the woman complained of moderate pain, restricted mouth opening, and nausea. The woman was told she would be okay and to continue to maintain a good oral hygiene. Later on, the woman experience new-onsent … Read more

Chloë Grace Moretz Has a Wisdom Tooth Removed

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Recently American actress Chloë Grace Moretz, a 24 year old woman, had a wisdom tooth removed. She apparently had this wisdom tooth removed on December 10, 2021, as was revealed during an appearance with James Corden on the Late Late Show on CBS. She was nervous prior to the surgery and convinced that she was going to end up not okay. She apparently had two other wisdom teeth that could have been removed but did not have them extracted in this go round. She described after the surgery being “sky high in the midnight sky” and felt some regret about not having all three extracted at once. She shared a video of her in a car with gauze wrapped around her jaw apparently on the way back home after the surgery. In the video she says “I’m going to the … Read more

Twenty something year old woman spends two nights in ICU after wisdom tooth removal and failures by dentist

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In April 2018 in New Zealand, a twenty something year old woman had to spend two nights in the intensive care unit (ICU) after having a wisdom tooth removed. The woman had a lower right wisdom tooth extracted. This was after she presented at a dental clinic and told the dentist that she had experience on and off pain for over two years near the lower right wisdom tooth. Recently she had constant pain for over a week and and found it difficult to eat or open her mouth. The dentist diagnosed pericoronitis, which is inflammation of the tissue surrounding wisdom teeth and said the woman could either have an antibiotic to take or have the wisdom tooth extracted. The woman elected extraction. In the days that followed the woman “was in pain, her face was swollen, and she could … Read more