wisdom teeth complications

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

Vertigo After Tooth Removal

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An interesting case report titled “Vertigo after tooth removal” appears in the British Dental Journal written by R. O’Rorke and et al. (vol. 231, no. 3, published August 13, 2021). The article describes a 26 year old woman who experience vertigo after having two teeth surgically extracted. The woman presented to the dentist with bilateral recurrent pericoronitis in relation to distoangularly impacted lower wisdom teeth. The woman had both of these wisdom teeth extracted while under local anesthesia, although there was a four week period of time between each extraction. During a teledentistry visit three days after the second tooth surgery on the lower left side, the woman complained of moderate pain, restricted mouth opening, and nausea. The woman was told she would be okay and to continue to maintain a good oral hygiene. Later on, the woman experience new-onsent … Read more

Twenty something year old woman spends two nights in ICU after wisdom tooth removal and failures by dentist

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In April 2018 in New Zealand, a twenty something year old woman had to spend two nights in the intensive care unit (ICU) after having a wisdom tooth removed. The woman had a lower right wisdom tooth extracted. This was after she presented at a dental clinic and told the dentist that she had experience on and off pain for over two years near the lower right wisdom tooth. Recently she had constant pain for over a week and and found it difficult to eat or open her mouth. The dentist diagnosed pericoronitis, which is inflammation of the tissue surrounding wisdom teeth and said the woman could either have an antibiotic to take or have the wisdom tooth extracted. The woman elected extraction. In the days that followed the woman “was in pain, her face was swollen, and she could … Read more