wisdom teeth complications

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

Lemierre’s Syndrome after Wisdom Teeth Removal

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An interesting article titled “Lemierre’s Syndrome Following Extraction of Wisdom Teeth,” appears in the October 20, 2020 edition of the Cureus Journal of Medical Science (written by A. Keshary and M. Hagan, 12(10): e11061). The article describes a case of an 18 year old man who had his wisdom teeth extracted and then developed Lemierre’s Syndrome which rarely occurs after wisdom tooth removal but is is known to affect young and healthy adults; See Near Death Wisdom Teeth Removal Experience where another case has been discussed on this site in the past. Lemierre’s syndrome is a serious bloodstream infection typically caused by Fusobacterium necrophorum. It has a death rate of around 18% and thus if detected needs to be quickly treated with antibiotics. Very few cases of Lemierre’s syndrome after wisdom teeth surgery have occurred since antibiotics became readily available. In the … Read more

Wisdom Tooth Extraction Leads to Giant Lung Abscess

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A unique complication of wisdom teeth removal is described in the article titled “A 45-Year-Old Man With Acute Chest Pain, Fever, and Dyspnea After Tooth Extraction” appearing in the December 2021 edition of Chest written by Tashiro et al. (issue 160, no. 6, pp. e623 – e628). In the article, discussion is made of a healthy 45-year-old man who experienced respiratory failure due to a giant lung abscess that formed as a result of oral bacteria after a wisdom tooth extraction. Two days after having a wisdom tooth removed, the 45-year-old man in Japan developed chest pain on his right side. Two weeks after the wisdom tooth extraction, the man went to a hospital because he had a fever, difficulty breathing, and had a cough and purulent sputum. The man was in good health and visited a dentist twice a … Read more

Wisdom Teeth Removal Leads to Persistent Headache and Viral Encephalitis

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A person in Scotland had wisdom teeth removed that resulted in an infection. This lead to a persistent headache that was later diagnosed as viral encephalitis but initially missed. The person who had wisdom teeth removed did not have the proper diagnosis made by both oral and maxillofacial surgeons and when admitted to a hopsital, medics from NHS Fife at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, Scotland. None of the people who treated the person suspected an infection and the person was not given an MRI scan. This lead to encephalitis which is an inflammation of the brain typically caused by an infection. A complaint was submitted to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman for this case and they came out with a decison report that contained a summary of the case and recommendations. The board of NHS Fife where the person was … Read more

Is it Safe to Drink Large Amounts of Pineapple Juice after Wisdom Teeth Surgery that People on TikTok are Doing?

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Recently, several young adults have been trying a remedy prior to having their wisdom teeth removed where they drink a large amount of pineapple juice. This has been shared on TikTok by several people. Mackenzie Fuhrman, who is a 21 year old nursing student, shared on her TikTok a video that shows her with a 46 ounce can of pineapple juice. She also says she has a few smaller cans she will add to it to make 64 ounces. She is doing this based on another TikTok video she saw where a woman named Valeria drank 64 ounces of pineapple juice prior to her wisdom teeth surgery (see https://www.tiktok.com/@valeriagreenz/video/6986417135824145670) as a way to prevent swelling after the procedure and provide nearly instant recovery. Mackenzie said that she further researched about pineapple juice and found scientific proof to back the claims. … Read more