Wisdom Teeth

Asphyxia Due to Compression of the Trachea Leading to Death After Wisdom Tooth Extraction

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As discussed before on this website, having a wisdom tooth extracted can in rare instances lead to death. This is expanded on over at the wisdom teeth death page http://www.teethremoval.com/death.html. At the time of writing this, at least 67 deaths have been listed on this page attributable to wisdom teeth removal. In a recent case a 74 year old man has passed away in Japan after having a mandibular wisdom tooth extracted. A case report of this is described in Wataru Kawashima, Katsuhiko Hatake, Yoshifumi Morimura, Risa Kudo, Mari Nakanishi, Shigehiro Tamaki, Shogo Kasuda, Katsuya Yuui, and Akiko Ishitani, “Asphyxial death related to postextraction hematoma in an elderly man,” Foresnic Science International, vol. 288, e47-e49, 2013. In the article the authors describe how after having wisdom teeth extracted it is possible to develop bleeding. In some cases massive bleeding and … Read more

Bisphenol A Exposure in Early Age May Damage Enamel

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Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical compound that is used to make up resins and plastics. For example, bisphenol A is used in bottles, inside drink cans, and inside food tins. Research has shown that bisphenol A has been found in human blood and urine hence indicting that it has been ingested. Other research has shown that bisphenol A has adverse effects on the development and reproduction of lab animals. Bisphenol A has already been banned from being used in the manufacturing process of baby bottles in Europe. A recent study set out to determine if teeth of rats when treated with low daily doses of bisphenol A are damaged. The researchers showed that the teeth of rats treated with low daily doses of bisphenol A are in fact damaged and that the characteristics present are similar to what has … Read more

Cheese may aid in cavity prevention

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In an article appearing in the May/June 2013 issue of General Dentistry, it was found that eating cheese and other diary products may be beneficial in protecting teeth against cavities. The study sampled 68 subjects between the ages of 12 and 15 and looked at their dental plaque pH in their mouth before and after eating cheese, yogurt, and milk. In fact, three different groups were used one that eat cheddar cheese another that drink milk and another that eat sugar free yogurt. Each group was told to eat/drink for around 3 minutes and then swish their mouth with water. Then the researchers measured the pH level of each subject’s mouth at 10, 20 and 30 minutes after they finished eating/drinking. The researchers found that the groups who drank milk and ate yogurt had no changes in pH levels in … Read more

Wisdom Teeth: Perspectives from the Military

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In previous discussions on this blog such as Third Molar Morbidity Among Troops Deployed and elsewhere, a discussion has been made about whether or not wisdom teeth should be extracted in those involved in the armed forces. A new article from Hurlbert Field titled “Wisdom teeth: Should they stay or go” provides a perspective by Staff Sgt. Jeff Andrejcik, was written on December 3, 2013, and is located over at http://www2.hurlburt.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123372876. The article is written by a special operations dentist who performs wisdom teeth extractions. He says he has removed over 300 wisdom teeth and once removed 8 in one patient. He says in the article that most people don’t have room for wisdom teeth and they grow in sideways and are not cleansable. Larkin discusses how pericoronitis can occur in patients who have wisdom teeth that erupt but not fully leaving … Read more

Osteonecrosis of the Jaw As a Complication After Wisdom Teeth Removal

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Removing wisdom teeth or a wisdom tooth has risks and in some instances complications can occur. I have discussed numerous complications of wisdom teeth over at http://www.teethremoval.com/complications.html. One of the complications discussed is Bisphosphonate Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (BRONJ). What happens is that when a patient is on bisphosphonates and has a tooth extracted (any tooth a wisdom tooth or not) bone that is exposed can fail to heal. A case of this occurring is described at the Daily Mail titled “Grandmother in agony for FOUR YEARS after dentist removed wisdom tooth without checking her medical records,” by Steve Robinson, published on March 19, 2013. In this case a 72 year old woman had a problem where she kept catching her teeth with her cheek and noticed blood. She went to her general practitioner who performed a biopsy and … Read more