Using Cryotherapy including Ice Packs and Cold Compress after Wisdom Teeth Surgery to Reduce Swelling and Pain and Improve Mouth Opening

An interesting article titled “Therapeutic efficacy of cryotherapy on facial swelling, pain, trismus and quality of life after surgical removal of mandibular third molars: A systematic review,” written by Larson et al. appears in the Journal of Oral Rehabilitation (2019). The article seeks to test the hypothesis that swelling, pain and trismus (limited mouth opening) is not changed from the use of cyrotherapy. Cryotherapy is where cold is applied to the skin for therapeutic purposes such as using ice packs, gel packs, cold compresses, and Hilotherm face masks. Cryotherapy is regularly used by athletes to treat musculoskeletal injuries. It is known that many patients are using cryotherapy after wisdom teeth removal already, see for example the post Recent Celebrities to have Wisdom Teeth Removal. The authors were motivated to perform the study because facial swelling, pain and trismus had not … Read more

Kinesiology Taping Following Wisdom Teeth Removal

If you live in the U.S. you may have seen recent commercials on TV advertising a product called KT Tape featuring three time Gold metal olympic volleyball player Kerri Walsh Jennings. However, you may not know that Kinesiology Taping or KT for short has been used in several studies to see if it can help accelerate recovery after wisdom teeth removal. Kinesiology Taping is an an elastic therapeutic tape that has been used to support injured muscles and joints and help relieve pain. KT is believed to improve the blood and lymph flow and remove congestions of lymphatic fluid or hemorrhages. In a study by Ristow et al. titled “Therapeutic elastic tape reduces morbidity after wisdom teeth removal—a clinical trial,” appearing in Clinical Oral Investigations (vol. 18, pp. 1205–1212, 2014) the authors performed a randomized clinical trial with 40 patients … Read more

Kylie Jenner and Sofia Richie Latest Celebrities to have Wisdom Teeth Removed in 2020

Within the last week both Kylie Jenner and Sofia Richie both had their wisdom teeth removed. Both had their wisdom teeth removed on Monday February 17, 2020. In recent years many other celebrities have also had wisdom teeth surgery, see the posts Meghan Trainor Has All Four Wisdom Teeth Removed, Celebrities who have had Wisdom Teeth Extracted, and Recent Celebrities to have Wisdom Teeth Removal. Kylie Jenner is a 22 year old woman is a famous American media personality known best for appearing with her sisters on the reality television show Keeping Up with the Kardashians. She also runs her own company Kylie Cosmetics. She is active on social media platforms and took to her Instagram to post a photo with the caption “Hi I got my wisdom teeth taken out. This sucks.” after she had all four wisdom teeth extracted. She … Read more

Wisdom Teeth and Mandibular Angle and Condyle Fractures

An interesting article titled “The relationship between the lower third molar (M3) and mandibular angle/condyle fractures – a systematic review” written by Akadiri et al. appears in Oral Surgery in 2017 (vol. 10, pp. e7-e16). The article seeks to determine mandibular angle/condyle fractures risk when an impacted wisdom tooth is present or not. In some studies the the presence of impacted wisdom teeth has been associated with increased risk of mandibular angle fractures which those who suggest prophylactic removal of wisdom teeth like to use as a valid reason. However in other studies there has been show an increased risk for mandibular condyle fracture after removing a wisdom tooth. The authors performed a systematic literature review and explored articles from 1970 to 2015. Articles included in the review meet a set of author defined criteria including using Kelly and Harrigan’s … Read more

Teenager Sexually Assaulted by Dental Assistant during Wisdom Teeth Removal

In the past on this site, discussion has been made of cases of sexual assault occurring during wisdom teeth removal. See for example Recent Cases of Dentist Assistant Sexual Assault During Wisdom Teeth Removal, Dentist Who Groped Patients Sentenced to Jail and http://www.teethremoval.com/sexual_assault_under_anesthesia_for_wisdom_teeth_removal.html. In recent years there seems to be more cases involving dental assistants sexually assaulting patients during wisdom teeth removal as opposed to a dentist or oral surgeon sexually assaulting a patient. Recent cases include when a dental assistant sexually assaulted 13 patients while each were having wisdom teeth extracted in 2015 and 2016 in San Diego, California, and when a dental assistant sexually assaulted a teenage woman while she was having wisdom teeth surgery in 2017 in Silver Spring, Maryland.  Recently in December 2019, an eighteen year old teenage woman scheduled for wisdom teeth removal was allegedly assaulted by … Read more