wisdom teeth removal

Estimating Late Developing Wisdom Teeth

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An interesting article titled “Late Developing Third Molars: a Concerning Predisposing Sign of Impaction?” was presented on July 22, 2021, at the virtual session of the 2021 International Association for Dental Research (IADR)/AADR/CADR General Session written by Denver Marchiori and et al. The research set to investigate more how the development of impacted wisdom teeth which are known to develop later and slower than fully erupted wisdom teeth. This study used longitudinal patient imaging data and quantitative analytical methods to investigate and determine the extent to which late-developing wisdom teeth are more predisposed to eruption and impaction. The authors retrospectively explored 324 maxillary and mandibular wisdom teeth by looking at cone-beam computed tomography scans and panoramic radiographs of 99 Western Canadians ages 6 to 24. rom this data a generalized estimating equation model was calculated to estimate wisdom tooth eruption status … Read more

Woman goes on online shopping spree after wisdom teeth surgery

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An interesting story is reported in WPDH about a woman who goes an online shopping spree after having her wisdom teeth removed. After the woman has her wisdom teeth removed and while still under the influence of anesthesia she goes on an online shopping spree. As part of her shopping spree the woman buys 4 pairs of black pants. She also buys several shirts to go with the pants. She also spends $140 on a pair of tennis shoes. The woman also buys her daugher a jacket. Besides clothing apparel, the woman decides she needs some new items for her home. She spends on a new laundry basket, a large order of toilet bowl cleaner, and on some cat litter inserts. The following days after having her wisdom teeth removed, the woman has no recollection of going on this online … Read more

Seventeen Year Old Teenager Due for Lung Transplant after Wisdom Teeth Removal

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An unfortunate story appears in KRDO describing a seventeen year old man who had two impacted wisdom teeth extracted in October 2022 in Colorado. Seven days after the procedure the man started coughing up blood and ever since then his health has deteriorated. Prior to the surgery the teenager was in good health regularily lifting weights and playing with his siblings in his home state of Colorado. As reported in March 2023, now the man over four months later is an inpatient at a hospital and struggles to walk from a hospital bed to a bathroom that is five feet away. Two days after he started coughting up blood he went into septic shock where he was placed on a ventilator and moved into the intensive care unit of a hospital. His family is in a constant state of fear … Read more

Using an Eye Massager to Control Anxiety Before Wisdom Tooth Extraction

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An interesting article titled “Massage Therapy to Control Anxiety Before Extraction of an Impacted Tooth,” appears in Cureus in October 4, 2022, written by Kunusoth R, Colvenkar S, Alwala A, et al. (vol. 14, no. 10, pp. 29893). The article discusses a simple technique to manage anxiety during dental visits using an eye massager. Many patients experience anxiety when seeing a dentist, see for example the posts Changes in Dental Anxiety over Time and Dental Anxiety and Fear: Impact on Oral Health. Dental anxiety can be caused by such things as a prior past negative dental experience, fear of needles, and a fear of gagging or choking. These patients are more likely to cancel their appointments and may be more difficult to treat. Various treatment options for dental anxiety exist such as described in the posts Do Wisdom Teeth Surgery … Read more

What is the norcebo effect and does it matter for dentistry?

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An interesting article titled “What is the nocebo effect and does it apply to dentistry? A narrative review” written by T. Watanabe and et al. appears in the Journal of Oral Rehabilitation (2022). The article discusses the concept of a nocebo which is different than a placebo. A nocebo is where negative expectations lead to the effect of either clinical worsening, suboptimal treatment efficacy, or the occurrence of adverse events. A placebo on the other hand is where postive expectations leads to an effect that causes an improvement in symptoms. In the article the authors sought to explore the norcebo effect in dentistry which they say to date has been given very little attention which only a limited number of articles discussing it. The norcebo effect is real and has been demonstrated in numerous experimental and clinical settings, which hows … Read more