complication

Slit Throat During Wisdom Teeth Extraction

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A recent story has appeared in ABC Action News (Tampa, Florida, U.S.) titled “Patient says dentist accidentally slit throat while pulling wisdom teeth: Patient expected refund after accident” by Jackie Callaway, July 9, 2013. The story described a man who had three wisdom teeth extracted earlier this year. The man had the first two wisdom teeth removed successfully. According to the man, on the third wisdom tooth, the dentist slipped and came down to near his tonsil and cut his throat. The man says the swelling and pain was unbearable and he lost 12 pounds. The man was interested in getting a refund for the $180 he paid for the dental visit; however, the refund was not made. In addition, the man’s wife had an upcoming appointment with the dentist office, which they canceled and were charged a $25 cancellation … Read more

Lessons from Medical litigation in oral surgery practice

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I have previously touched on, such as in the post How to Improve Your Chances to Win a Dental Malpractice Lawsuit, some of the issues surrounding medical litigation from a dental and oral surgery standpoint. In the article “Medical litigation in oral surgery practice: Lessons learned from 20 lawsuits,” by Hesham F. Marei, currently in Press at the time I have reviewed this, Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, 2012, an investigation into lawsuits occurring in an oral surgery setting over three years (2009-2012) in Saudi Arabia is explored. Over 100 lawsuits were looked at with 20 fitting in the inclusion criteria. Marei states: “The most common cause for litigation was oro-antral communication, followed by neurological deficit associated with the surgical removal of wisdom teeth and placement of dental implants. Bleeding after extraction was the third most common cause for … Read more

Avoiding Nerve Injuries with Lower Wisdom Teeth

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A study (in press) appears in the International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (2012) titled “Early extraction: a silver bullet to avoid nerve injury in lower third molar removal?” by Q. B. Zhang and Z. Q. Zhang. At the beginning of the article the authors discuss how lower third molars show the highest incidence of impaction and are responsible for pathology such as pericoronitis, periodontitis, pain, cysts, tumors, and second molar-tooth crown resorption. I have discussed the risks of keeping wisdom teeth in over here http://www.teethremoval.com/risks_of_keeping_wisdom_teeth.html The authors also discuss the complications associated with removal of third molars which I have elaborated on in great detail here http://www.teethremoval.com/complications.html. In this study two groups of patients from China were grouped: A) those less than 23 and with immature teeth, and B) those greater than 23 and with mature teeth. Group … Read more