The Death Rate Among Patients being Treated by Oral Surgeons in Massachusetts

In the past on this site death surrounding wisdom teeth removal and other dental procedures has been discussed. It has been estimated that the death rate in dentistry occurs in 1 out of every 400,000 cases. Due to a new article in 2019, the mortality rate in dentistry page at http://www.teethremoval.com/mortality_rates_in_dentistry.html has been updated.  This article is written by Wardius et al. titled “Outpatient Anesthesia Morbidity and Mortality Experience Among Massachusetts Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons” and published in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in 2019. It is worthwhile exploring the details of this article. The article discusses the results of a mailed questionnaire that was sent to active members of the Massachusetts Society of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons who practiced using the single–operator-anesthetist model in the years 2015 and 2016. A total of 288 oral and maxillofacial surgeons were included … Read more

Oral Surgery: Prepare Yourself for Post-Surgery Complications

Do you need oral surgery? You have to prepare yourself before undergoing any oral surgery procedure to avoid complications. By preparing yourself, you can get the advantage of a speedy recovery. Oral surgeries involve a local or general anesthetic. These outpatient surgeries require you to consult top oral surgeons such as a teeth removal doctor in Dallas – Fort Worth. Before surgery, you have to make several preparations. Strictly following post-operative guidelines will help you avoid any post surgical complications and decrease the chances of infection. Discuss with Your Dental Doctor People often ignore the importance of meeting an oral surgeon before surgery. This meeting is necessary to understand the dental procedure. Carefully listen to his/her instructions about recovery time, anesthesia, and operation. You should discuss any undergoing medical procedure or a current health condition with your surgeon. He/she should … Read more

Insurance Companies Limiting Access to Opioids After Wisdom Teeth Surgery

Recently on this website, two articles were published discussing possible opioid abuse stemming from prescriptions given after wisdom teeth surgery, see 1) Persistent Opioid Use After Wisdom Teeth Removal and 2) Opioid Prescriptions From Dental Clinicians for Young Adults and Subsequent Opioid Use and Abuse. The first article discussed a 2018 JAMA article which found that that those who filled an opioid prescription from up to 7 days before until up to 3 days after wisdom teeth removal were 2.69 times as likely than those who did not to continue to fill opioid prescriptions weeks or months later after the wisdom teeth surgery. The second article discussed a 2018 JAMA Internal Medicine article which found that being given opioids by a dentist or oral surgeon for those who had never previously used opioids had higher rates of opioid use at … Read more

Antibiotics for Dental Use Contributing to SuperBugs

Research has shown that antibiotics prescribed by dentists for various dental surgeries and procedures may contribute to the development of Clostridium difficile (C. diff), a serious and potentially deadly infection with severe diarrhea. A common questions many patients ask if they are having their wisdom teeth out includes if they should take antibiotics. This topic has been covered before on teethremoval.com, for example see http://www.teethremoval.com/antibiotic_resistance.html, https://blog.teethremoval.com/patients-perception-of-antibiotic-need-after-teeth-removal/,and https://blog.teethremoval.com/the-effect-of-a-single-dose-of-antibiotics-prior-to-wisdom-teeth-surgery/. The current guidance seems to recommend a single dose of antibiotics prior to surgery for high risk patients for postoperative infections but other healthy patients do not need any antibiotics prior to surgery. During the annual ID Week2017, which is an annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), the HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA) and the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS), researchers presented their findings on antibiotic prescriptions leading … Read more

Wisdom Teeth Removal can Lead to Teasing and Unwanted Nicknames

As has been covered before on teethremoval.com, one complication that can and has occured during wisdom teeth removal is the possibility of a thermal burn on the face and a permanent scar. See the wisdom teeth removal complications page for more information. As part of the nice deadly dentistry piece by The Dallas Morning News, a case of this occurring to a young woman in California is highlighted. The story is from Brooks Egerton titlted “Beating the System: Nevada disciplined dentist for deaths, but it didn’t matter in Texas,” and written December 9, 2015. The case is of a young woman entering her senior year of high school who was scheduled to have four wisdom teeth extracted in July 2008. The woman was accompanied by her mother during the procedure as is typical in many cases and then was brought out … Read more