wisdom teeth complications

Pseudoaneurysm after Wisdom Teeth Removal

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There are many complications that can occur as a result of wisdom teeth removal. Such complications from wisdom teeth removal are discussed on this website at http://www.teethremoval.com/complications.html. One complication that does not receive much attention, perhaps because it does not occur much, is a pseudoaneurysm or false aneurysm. A pseudoaneurysm usually occurs from an aterial breach or rupture in an artery which leads to a leakage of blood and a resulting hematoma. One case of this occurring in a 25 year old man is on the complications page. The pseuodoaneurysm and adjacent parent artery were occluded through the use of cannulization aided by computed tomographic angiography. Another more recent case of pseuodoaneurysm occuring after wisdom teeth removal is described in an article by Rawat et al., titled “Traumatic Pseudoaneurysm: A Life-Threatening Complication After Surgical Extraction of Impacted Maxillary Third Molar,” appearing in … Read more

Quality of Life Impact As a Consideration for Wisdom Teeth Removal

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An interesting editorial titled “Outcomes after 3rd molar surgery: what about quality of life?” written by Ogden appears in the 2014 edition of Oral Surgery (vol. 7, pp. 1-2). The article discusses how there are many complications that can occur after wisdom teeth removal and many of these are mentioned to the patient prior to surgery as part of the informed consent process. Such complications that can occur after wisdom teeth removal are discussed over at http://www.teethremoval.com/complications.html and the informed consent process has been discussed before for example in the post Informed Consent in Dentistry: Can Change Impact Personal Injury Cases? and also http://www.teethremoval.com/legal_system_medical_malpractice. However the article by Ogden dives deep and addresses how patient quality of life outcomes should be disclosed as complications in the informed consent process. The author mentions a 1997 study which showed that 1 week … Read more

Pandemic Precautions: How Safe is a Visit to the Dentist for Removing Your Wisdom Tooth?

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The pandemic has made regular life difficult, and even something as important as going to the local dentist for a regular checkup has not been exempted from that effect. This brings us to a very real and tricky question: is it really safe to go to a dentist when COVID-19 is running rampant everywhere? Even more importantly, how safe is it to get your wisdom teeth removed right now? The Answer is Highly Variable There isn’t a singular “yes” or “no” answer to this question, which could be taken as applicable across all dental clinics in the US. It depends on multiple factors and variables that we cannot control. Fortunately, there are also multiple other factors that we can control to keep ourselves relatively safe in any environment, including the dentist’s clinic. As to the question of whether removing a wisdom … Read more

What is the Likelihood of Dry Socket After Wisdom Teeth Removal?

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An interesting article titled “A re-audit to assess the incidence of alveolar osteitis within the Oral Surgery Department of a teaching hospital” appears in the 2017 edition of Oral Surgery written by Qalandari and Dargue (vol. 10, pp. e22-e29). In the article a discussion is made of determining the chances of experiencing dry socket after wisdom teeth removal in the oral surgery department of a hospital in Britain. Alveolar osteitis is the official name for what is commonly known as dry socket and is a common complication after wisdom teeth surgery. Dry socket is when there is pain in and around the extraction site after surgery which increases in intensity between one and three days after surgery and there is also a partially or totally disintegrated blood clot within the socket. The authors were interested in what the current incidence … Read more

Chances of Nerve Injury After Wisdom Teeth Removal

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An interesting article titled “Investigation of nerve injury after lower third molar removal” written by Moosa and Malden appears in the 2018 edition of Oral Surgery (vol. 11, pp. 22-27). The article seeks to address how many patients develop inferior alveolar nerve or lingual nerve injury after wisdom teeth removal at a dental clinic in Edinburgh, UK. Nerve injury is a type of complication that is known to occur after wisdom teeth removal. Two nerves that are often damaged include the inferior alveolar nerve and the lingual nerve. When the inferior alveolar nerve is injured there can be tingling, numbness, burning, or painful sensations near the lower lip, chin, and teeth. When the lingual nerve is injured there can be tingling, numbness, burning, or painful sensations near the tongue and loss of taste can occur. According to the authors prior … Read more