What Dentists Should Say to Patients when Something Doesn’t Go Right

Unfortunately dentists and oral surgeons don’t always have all procedures go as planned for their patients. For example, when it comes to wisdom tooth surgery, it is possible for the wrong set of wisdom teeth to be removed as is discussed on the wisdom teeth complications page, see https://www.teethremoval.com/complications.html. Since procedures don’t always go as planned, on this site before guidance for patients who want to be very defensive has been provided, see the post The Defensive Patients Guide to Wisdom Teeth Removal. While patients can sometimes be bad actors and deny that certain information was provided to them prior to a procedure (see the post Patient Recall During Informed Consent for Wisdom Teeth Surgery), dentists and oral surgeons also can behavior badly such as by telling patient’s after their procedure that their condition that resulted could not have possibly … Read more

Social Isolation in Old Ages Leads to Fewer Teeth

An interesting article titled “Social isolation, loneliness and accelerated tooth loss among Chinese older adults: A longitudinal study.” appears in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology in 2022 written by Xiang Qi, Yaolin Pei, Katherine Wang, Shuyu Han, and Bei Wu. The article sought to explore the effects of social isolation and loneliness for older Chinese adults by looking particularly at the number of teeth remaining and the rate of tooth loss over time. In the article the authors analyzed data from 4,268 adults ages 65 and older fromthree different timepoints of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (2011-2012, 2014, 2018). The surveys captured measures of social isolation, loneliness, and tooth loss. In these surversy more than a fourth (27.5%) of the study participants were socially isolated and also more than a fourth (26.5%) reported feeling lonely. The authors found that if … Read more

Treating Erectile Dysfunction with Viagra

If you suffer from erectile dysfunction (ED), you may be looking for something to help you with this condition. Viagra, a common medication for erectile dysfunction, can help you overcome this condition. Below, is some more information about Viagra’s effectiveness, side effects, and overall safety. Effectiveness Viagra increases blood flow to the penis, which helps men achieve and maintain an erection. The effectiveness of Viagra varies from person to person, but it has been shown to be effective in about 70-80% of men with erectile dysfunction. It is important to note that Viagra does not work for everyone and will not increase sexual desire. Make sure you consult a doctor before taking Viagra, as it can result in serious side effects in some users. How to Take Viagra Viagra is taken orally, usually around 30-60 minutes before sexual activity. The … Read more

Patients Wisdom Teeth Extraction Results in Reactive Arthritis

An interesting article titled “Reactive Arthritis Resulting From Postoperative Complications of Third Molar Extraction: A Case Report,” appears in Cureus in August 23, 2022, written by Lauren Maytin and Jeffrey Morrison (vol. 14, no. 8, pp. e28325). The article presents a case report of a 23 year old woman who develped reactive arthritis after wisdom teeth extraction. In the article the authors discuss a 23 year old woman who had a history of lower back and joint pain but developed more severe of symptoms of bilateral shoulder pain, decreased range of motion in her left shoulder, and worsening lower back after having an infected infected wisdom tooth extracted. She was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and and was prescribed adalimumab. Her laboratory results showed elevated indicators of inflammatory activity that were positive for HLA-B27. The woman presented to two weeks after wisdom … Read more

Womans toothache that led to Wisdom Teeth Removal Turns out to be Cancer

A 29 year old woman in Scotland began to experience pain in her mouth in September 2020 and also felt a pea-sized lump on her jawline. She thought the pain and problems were due to not having wisdom teeth extracted and that an infection had developed. She later had four wisdom teeth extracted Glasgow Dental Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland, and then spent 12 months on antibiotics. After the wisdom teeth were removed she continued to have a swollen gland or lymph node and she continued to feel something was not quite right. In January 2021, he went in for a biopsy and CT scan. Four days after these tests were done she was told she had a cancerous lump and was diagnosed with osteosarcoma cancer. She started chemotherpay in early March 2021. She later had to have bone reconstruction, skin grafts … Read more