oral surgeon

Wisdom Teeth Surgery: A Patient’s View

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Many who come to this blog and website are of course interested in learning more about wisdom teeth removal. In the past I have posted some successful and positive wisdom teeth extraction experiences see https://blog.teethremoval.com/successful-and-positive-wisdom-teeth-removal-experiences/. Even so this site has more negative experiences. For those who want a more detailed positive experience from the surgery an article by Laura Pacey in the May 2014, British Dental Journal titled “Third Molar Surgery” is helpful (vol. 216, issue 9, pp. 490). The article is written by the assistant editor of the British Dental Journal and describes her experience with having three wisdom teeth extracted. As someone who works in the dental field of course she may be more knowledgeable than the average patient. She describes how she feared that she would become another ill-fated statistic concerning complications following wisdom teeth removal. Prior … Read more

Does Not Treating Asymptomatic Wisdom Teeth Cause Harm?

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An interesting article appears in the July 2015, British Dental Journal, titled “Revolution vs status quo? Non-intervention strategy of asymptomatic third molars causes harm” written by V. Toedtling and J. M. Yates (vol. 219, no. 1, pp. 11-12.) The article addresses how the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England has asked the National Institute for Health Care Excellence (NICE) to re-assess their guidance on wisdom teeth extractions. This is because the group and doctors feel that there is an increasing amount of distal-cervical caries (cavities) in lower second molar teeth (teeth right next to wisdom teeth) when associated with asymptomatic partially erupted mesial or horizontally impacted lower wisdom teeth (mandibular third molars). The authors say that NICE has been reluctant to re-appraise their 2000 guidance and guidelines on wisdom teeth removal. The authors point … Read more

An Australian perspective of removing or retaining wisdom teeth (third molars)

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An article titled “Cost effectiveness modelling of a ‘watchful monitoring strategy’ for impacted third molars vs prophylactic removal under GA: an Australian perspective” appeared in the July 2015, British Dental Journal and written by A.A. Anjrini, E. Kruger, and M. Tennant (issue 219, pp. 19-23). The article discusses the direct and indirect costs associated with removing impacted wisdom teeth in Australia. A news article appearing on the Australian ABC Science (http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2015/08/17/4283895.htm) titled “Wisdom teeth: are we removing them more often than needed?” by Anna Salleh and written on August 17, 2015, discusses some of the points made in the journal article. The authors were interested in determining if a watchful waiting monitoring strategy should be used for impacted wisdom teeth or if a prophylactic strategy should be used. They looked at hospitalization data for impacted wisdom teeth removal for 2008 … Read more

Measuring Lingual Position of Lower Wisdom Teeth

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An interesting study titled “Measurement of the Lingual Position of the Lower Third Molar Roots Using Cone-Beam Computed Tomography,” appears in the January 2015 issue of the Journal of Oral and Maxilofacial Surgery (vol. 73, issue 1) and written by Yusuf Emes and et al. The authors set out to use Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) to evaluate the proximity of lower wisdom teeth roots to the lingual cortex, which can be used to determine the potential risk of root displacement during lower wisdom teeth removal. The study used CBCT images of 32 impacted lower wisdom teeth of 31 patients (5 men and 26 women). The images were collected for reasons not related to surgery including impacted teeth, dental implants, and cysts of the jaws. An evaluation was performed independently by 2 trained oral and maxillofacial surgeons who were experienced in … Read more

Influencing Government: Perspectives from U.S. Oral Surgeons

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As has been discussed before on this site and blog, The Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is published on behalf of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS). They of course have their own interests and seek to help get candidates elected in government with positions favorable to theirs. This is described a bit in the article Influencing Your Government by James R. Hupp  appearing in the January 2015 issue of The Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (vol. 73, issue 1). The article discusses how voting in an election is only part of the story and advocacy stronger than one’s vote at the ballot box. The author states “Advocacy can take many forms. The one that comes to mind for most people is campaigning for someone running for office. Similarly, one can donate to a candidate’s … Read more