In early 2021, a man 44 years of age living in Auckland in New Zealand, died a few weeks after being aware of having an infected wisdom tooth. He first complained of having pain in his lower right wisdom tooth on Christmas Eve in 2020. He went to see a doctor about it several times over many days for swelling and pain and was given antibiotics. He was unable to swallow the pills so was given liquid antibiotics instead but nothing seemed to help with the infection. Later the pain and swelling in his face and neck became progressively worse. He went to the hospital on January 4, 2021. While in the hospital he had x-rays taken and was later discharged.
The family was shocked to hear that the man was able to get discharged that soon. He was sent home with mouthwash and antibiotics and told to have the wisdom tooth extracted the next day. The tooth was not extracted until January 7, 2021, seemingly due to having to secure a loan to pay for the procedure. After the tooth was extracted the man initially said he felt better but within a week was back to see a doctor for pain. He went back to a hospital and was seen for surgery and spent time in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). A few days later the family received a call that he man had passed away and was dead. They explained that they were not sure what had happened and said there was a lot of blood seen and he was found on the floor.
The family wishes the man would have received hospital treatment sooner. The case brought to the attention of the Health and Disability Commissioner of New Zealand as the family made a complaint into the matter. After being admitted to the hospital the man sent six days in the ICU before passing away. It is not exactly clear what led to his death, although there is a possibility he had a heart attack. The man had diabetes but otherwise was healthy. He followed a healthy diet, did not smoke, did not drink, and enjoyed exercise.
Unfortunately the risks of keeping wisdom teeth does include infection, see https://www.teethremoval.com/risks_of_keeping_wisdom_teeth.html. Several other deaths after having an infected wisdom tooth are known. In some of these cases the infection spread to other parts of the body and sepsis also resulted. Thus, if one does elect to keep wisdom teeth instead of extract, one should be aware of the risks of keeping wisdom teeth. Infections can present rapidly and suddenly and without prompt treatment can spread and result in later death. There has been at least one other case reported where a man lacked funds to pay for wisdom teeth extraction and this lead to a brain infection and death. It seems that inability to quickly pay for treatment quickly may have resulted in the wisdom tooth in this case remaining in place for several days longer than it should have.
Source: Kristy Wynn, “Auckland man dies in hospital weeks after wisdom tooth infection,” NZHerald, Feb 24, 2021. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/auckland-man-dies-in-hospital-weeks-after-wisdom-tooth-infection/4XOEXDZXKKKK4PQN6JLYZIIYBE/