Risk Factors for Delayed Infection After Wisdom Teeth Surgery

An interesting article titled “Risk Factors for Delayed-Onset Infection after Mandibular Wisdom Tooth Extractions” written by A.M. Smith et al., appeared in Healthcare in 2023. The article investigated the risk factors for delayed-onset infection (DOI) after lower wisdom teeth extractions. Delayed-onset infection (DOI) is a potential complication of wisdom tooth extraction that occurs one to four weeks after surgery. Even with precautions, such the use of antibiotics and not smoking and following good oral hygiene after surgery delayed-onset infection can occur with a reported incidence from 0.5% to 1.8%. Prior studies have shown that the depth and the tilt of the tooth axis of the lower wisdom tooth are risk factors for local delayed-onset infection and the development of delayed-onset infection is related to the space distal to the second molar. The authors of the current study sought to identify … Read more

Kinesio Taping to Help with Complications after Wisdom Teeth Surgery

An interesting article titled “Kinesio Taping as an Adjunct Therapy in Postoperative Care after Extraction of Impacted Third Lower Molars—A Randomized Pilot Study” appears in the Journal of Clinical Medicine written by Piotr Pławecki and et. al. (2023, 12, 2694). The article seeks to study the effectiveness of kinesio taping when compared with the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for treating complications after extraction of an impacted lower wisdom tooth. In the article the researchers divided 30 participants into two groups: 15 of the participants had tape applied after wisdom tooth extraction while the other 15 did not. Both groups were told to take 100mg of Ketoprofenum (a NSAID). Patients in the study had a lower impacted wisdom tooth extracted for the following reasons: 1) patients without comorbidities, 2) patients with indications for surgery to remove the impacted lower … Read more

Bilateral Inverted and Impacted Wisdom Teeth

An interesting article titled “Bilateral Inverted and Impacted Mandibular Third Molars: A Rare Case Report” written by Yara Mohamed Talib and et. al appears in Cureus on March 23, 2023 (vol. 15, no. 3, e36573. ). The article discussed two cases of inverted and impacted lower wisdom teeth that is very rare and very few cases have been reported in literature. In the article discussion is made of an impacted wisdom tooth that occurs when the tooth is unable to erupt normally because of a lack of room or a blockage from eruption. When a tooth is in a buccolingual position it is also noted as an inverted impaction. In the article two cases of bilateral impacted lower wisdom tooth were reported along with the radiographs. In the first case a 50 year old woman from Jordan presentned with persistent bleeding … Read more

Pseudoaneurysm after wisdom teeth extraction

An interesting article titled “Pseudoaneurysm following “routine” third molar extraction: a case report and review of the literature” appears in the March 2022 edition of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Cases written by J. J. Heifetz-Li and S. Abdelsamie (vol. 8, no. 1,100249). The article presents a case of unusual bleeding following wisdom teeth surgery in a healthy 17 year-old. In the article discussion is made of a 17 year old teenage woman who has her complete bony impacted wisdom teeth extracted at an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery outpatient clinic. She had no known signficant past medical history. The removal of her wisdom teeth was considered to be a routine extraction that involved a distal “hockey stick” incision, to raise the full-thickness mucoperiosteal flap to get to the crowns. The teeth were removed without damaging any nerves nearby and no excessive … Read more

Most Cost Effective Way to Treat Persistent Trigeminal Neuropathy

An interesting article titled “Is Surgical Repair With Nerve Allograft More Cost-Effective Than Non-Surgical Management for Persistent Trigeminal Neuropathy? Initial Assessment With Q1 Markov Model,” written by Benjamin Palla and et. al. appears in the Journal of Oral an Maxillofacial Surgery published online February 17, 2023. The article explores if surgical repair with allogeneic nerve graft a more cost-effectivetreatment option than no surgery. The article explores patients who suffer from trigeminal nerve injuries and how in some patients that show no signs of improvement after 3 months they are considered to have persistent trigeminal neuropathy (PTN). This condition can result as a complication of wisdom teeth removal. This condition can affect aspects of daily life including tooth brushing, flossing, talking, eating, drinking, chewing, smiling, kissing, and sleeping. A total of 36% of patients with trigeminal neuropathy have depression and many … Read more