Does a Surgeon’s Right or Left Handedness Effect Teeth Adjacent Wisdom Teeth After Removal?

An interesting articled titled “Effect of the Surgeon’s Dominant Hand on Postoperative Periodontal Status of Adjacent Molars After Removal of Lower Third Molars” by Petsos et al. appears in the 2019 edition of the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (vol. 77, pp. 912-919). The authors devised a study to explore if the side of the wisdom tooth, either left or right, had an influence, and the hand the surgeon prefers to use, either left or right, has different effects on the periodontal status of the second molars adjacent the wisdom teeth. In the study the authors selected patients who had lower wisdom teeth on both the left and right sides, had no systematic diseases, and were able to complete a follow-up six months after surgery. All patients were treated by the same right handed surgeon who was always positioned … Read more

College Students Win Free Wisdom Teeth Removal Surgery

Recently, several oral surgeons have been giving away the opportunity for students to win wisdom teeth surgery for free. Normally these procedures (if doing all four wisdom teeth) can cost several thousands of dollars or more. The complementary wisdom teeth procedure is designed to help offset the cost of college expensive for students. In one case an oral surgeon in Texas, has a Wisdom for Wisdom program that offers students the opportunity to apply. The application requires entering in some basic information about the patient and dentist. It also asks the applicant to respond to the the question “What would the Wisdom For Wisdom program mean to you if you are selected?” In the fourth year of the Wisdom for Wisdom program at this Texas oral surgery practice, an 18 year old male was selected to be the winner out … Read more

Brad Pitt, Cara Delevingne, and Russell Wilson Latest Celebrities to have Wisdom Teeth Removed in 2021

Over the years many celebrities have had wisdom teeth removed, see the posts Kylie Jenner and Sofia Richie Latest Celebrities to have Wisdom Teeth Removed in 2020, Meghan Trainor Has All Four Wisdom Teeth Removed, Celebrities who have had Wisdom Teeth Extracted, and Recent Celebrities to have Wisdom Teeth Removal. Earlier this year in 2021, three big name celebrities had wisdom teeth surgery including Brad Pitt, Cara Delevinge, and Russell Wilson. 1. Brad Pitt Brad Pitt is a famous American actor who has won an Academy award. Brad was spotted in mid April 2021, being wheeled out while sitting in a wheelchair of a medical center in California. According to sources he had wisdom teeth removed. He attempted to hide his appearance so he could not be easily recognized. However, even with doing so of his zip-up hood over his head, a pair of … Read more

Wisdom Teeth Removal Can Improve Long Term Taste

Interesting research appears in the article “Positive Long-Term Effects of Third Molar Extraction on Taste Function,” by Dane Kim and Richard L. Doty appears in Chemical Senses, v.ol 46, pp. 1-5, 2021. The article discusses how patients in the study had improved tasting ability decades after having wisdom teeth removed. This is counter to prior studies that have adverse effects on taste after having wisdom teeth extracted which was believed to dissipate over time. In the article the researchers evaluated data from 1,255 patients who had undergone a chemosensory evaluation at the University of Pennslyvania’s Smell and Taste Center over the course of 20 years. From this group of patients, 891 patients had received wisdom teeth (third molar) extractions and 364 had not. All participants were asked to complete a sip-and-spit whole-mouth taste test with five different concentrations of sucrose, … Read more

Management and Risks of Dry Socket After Wisdom Teeth Removal

An interesting article titled “Alveolar osteitis: a critical review of the aetiology and management” written by Veale appears in the 2015 edition of Oral Surgery (vol. 8, pp. 68-77). The article attempts to provide guidance on the best treatment and prevention of alveolar osteitis more commonly known as dry socket. Dry socket is a common complication after wisdom teeth removal that typically occurs around 2 to 4 days after surgery. With dry socket there is a total or partial loss of the blood clot from the socket, which results in an inflammatory response and intense pain. Dry socket is believed to occur up to 5% of the time after a wisdom tooth extraction and some studies show it more often occurs after a lower wisdom tooth removal. In the article many risks factors of dry socket are attempted to be … Read more