wisdom teeth complications

Recommendations on Accidental Displacement of a Wisdom Tooth

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One of the complications associated with wisdom teeth removal is the accidental displacement of the wisdom tooth. This has been discussed in the post Computer Assisted Retrieval of Accidentally Displaced Wisdom Teeth and as a complication over at http://www.teethremoval.com/complications.html. There are many places in the human body a wisdom tooth can end up in accidentally during surgery such as the maxillary sinus, submandibular space, sublingual space, infratemporal fossa, lateral pharyngeal space, and pterygomandibular space. In an article titled “Accidental displacement of third molars; report of three cases, review of literature and treatment recommendation” written by Anand and Patel appearing in Oral Surgery in 2013 (vol. 6, pp. 2-8) a discussion is made of three cases of displacement of a wisdom tooth during tooth extraction along with treatment recommendations. In the article the authors describe the most common sites of displacement … Read more

Tooth bud abalation of wisdom teeth may be alternative to surgery in the future

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An interesting article titled “Fully Guided Third Molar Tooth Bud Ablation in Pigs,” appears in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery written by Leigh E. Colby (2022, pp. 1-12). The article describes the investigation of ablated wisdom tooth buds in pigs which may one day serve as an alternative to surgical extraction. In the study the author conducted a mandibular split-mouth animal pig study that compared right lower wisdom tooth with left unablated wisdom tooth buds. The left unablated tooth buds were used as the control group. The author stated that pigs were chosen as their wisdom tooth bud development resembles that of humans. Further pigs that were 20 weeks old were chosen as they have wisdom tooth buds that are similar in dimension to humans. A total of 5 female pigs were used that were acquired in Oregon. … Read more

Coronectomy Five Year Follow Up

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An interesting article titled “Coronectomy: A Surgical Option for Impacted Third Molars in Close Proximity to the Inferior Alveolar Nerve—A 5-Year Follow-Up Study,” appears in the 2019 edition of the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery written by Monaco et al. The article discusses a study that explores complications up to five years after coronectomy. Coronectomy is often suggested to treat wisdom teeth when there is a high risk of nerve damage see for example Do People Know about Coronectomy For Management of Wisdom Teeth?. In the article the authors build upon a prior study they published that evaluated early or late complications and root migration for up to three years after coronectomy by extending the time period to up to five years after coronectomy. The study evaluated 94 patients who presented for lower wisdom teeth removal at the University … Read more

Man in China Dies Two Weeks after Wisdom Teeth Removal

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Wisdom teeth surgery can in rare cases lead to death. This has been covered before on this site in blog posts such as Wisdom Teeth Removal Death in 2016 in Florida: Settlement Reached, Four and half million settlement in wisdom teeth extraction death, Two million settlement in wisdom teeth extraction death, Recent Stories on Wisdom Teeth Removal Death, Asphyxia Due to Compression of the Trachea Leading to Death After Wisdom Tooth Extraction, 12 Million Given After Wisdom Teeth Removal Caused Death, Wisdom Teeth Removal Leaves to Death Two Days After, and Air Embolism During Wisdom Teeth Removal Causes Death. In the middle of 2020 a Chinese man died after having his wisdom teeth extracted. The 26 year old man had his wisdom tooth removed at a hospital in the Hunan Province of China on May 25, 2020. He had continuous … Read more

Woman who suffers broken jaw after wisdom teeth extraction loses medical malpractice case

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A woman in North Carolina went to a dental practice in October 2016 and was told she needed to her a wisdom tooth extracted. The following month in November 2016 the woman had the surgery performed by an oral surgeon in North Carolina. During the procedure the dentist had difficulty and required the assistance of another dentist at the dental practice. Substantial pressure was placed on the woman’s jaw during the surgery. The dentist told the woman after the surgery that a small piece of bone in her jaw had broken during the surgery. However, the dental records of the two dentist for this visit said ” a “[l]arge portion of [the] left maxillary tuberosity fractured off with [the] tooth during extraction . . . “ After the surgery the woman experienced intense pain throughout her face and jaw. She … Read more