wisdom teeth risks

Wisdom Teeth Surgery: A Patient’s View

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Many who come to this blog and website are of course interested in learning more about wisdom teeth removal. In the past I have posted some successful and positive wisdom teeth extraction experiences see https://blog.teethremoval.com/successful-and-positive-wisdom-teeth-removal-experiences/. Even so this site has more negative experiences. For those who want a more detailed positive experience from the surgery an article by Laura Pacey in the May 2014, British Dental Journal titled “Third Molar Surgery” is helpful (vol. 216, issue 9, pp. 490). The article is written by the assistant editor of the British Dental Journal and describes her experience with having three wisdom teeth extracted. As someone who works in the dental field of course she may be more knowledgeable than the average patient. She describes how she feared that she would become another ill-fated statistic concerning complications following wisdom teeth removal. Prior … Read more

Does Not Treating Asymptomatic Wisdom Teeth Cause Harm?

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An interesting article appears in the July 2015, British Dental Journal, titled “Revolution vs status quo? Non-intervention strategy of asymptomatic third molars causes harm” written by V. Toedtling and J. M. Yates (vol. 219, no. 1, pp. 11-12.) The article addresses how the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England has asked the National Institute for Health Care Excellence (NICE) to re-assess their guidance on wisdom teeth extractions. This is because the group and doctors feel that there is an increasing amount of distal-cervical caries (cavities) in lower second molar teeth (teeth right next to wisdom teeth) when associated with asymptomatic partially erupted mesial or horizontally impacted lower wisdom teeth (mandibular third molars). The authors say that NICE has been reluctant to re-appraise their 2000 guidance and guidelines on wisdom teeth removal. The authors point … Read more

Measuring Lingual Position of Lower Wisdom Teeth

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An interesting study titled “Measurement of the Lingual Position of the Lower Third Molar Roots Using Cone-Beam Computed Tomography,” appears in the January 2015 issue of the Journal of Oral and Maxilofacial Surgery (vol. 73, issue 1) and written by Yusuf Emes and et al. The authors set out to use Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) to evaluate the proximity of lower wisdom teeth roots to the lingual cortex, which can be used to determine the potential risk of root displacement during lower wisdom teeth removal. The study used CBCT images of 32 impacted lower wisdom teeth of 31 patients (5 men and 26 women). The images were collected for reasons not related to surgery including impacted teeth, dental implants, and cysts of the jaws. An evaluation was performed independently by 2 trained oral and maxillofacial surgeons who were experienced in … Read more

Is Not Removing Wisdom Teeth Causing Harm?

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An interesting article titled “Is official advice about NOT pulling out wisdom teeth doing more harm than good?” appeared earlier this year in February 2015, on the DailyMail over at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2946498/Is-NHS-causing-agony-telling-dentists-not-pull-wisdom-teeth.html and written by Cara Lee. The article questions whether or not the year 2000 guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) went too far with preventing wisdom teeth extractions in teenagers and young adults. In these guidelines NICE said that the practice of prophylactic removal of pathology-free impacted third molars should be discontinued in the National Health Service in the U.K. Hence only wisdom teeth with problems should be extracted. In the article on the DailyMail there is a discussion of a 31 year old male who never had wisdom teeth extracted in his teens. Now he needs his wisdom teeth extracted and the molars … Read more

Teenagers Turn to Strangers for Legal Advice Online After Wisdom Teeth Extractions

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Previously, I have posted numerous user written experiences of wisdom teeth removal. For example, you can see One Star Yelp Reviews on Wisdom Teeth, Successful and Positive Wisdom Teeth Removal Experiences, Wisdom Teeth Surgery Survey, and Wisdom Teeth Extraction Survey. Many of these experiences of wisdom teeth extractions were sent to me in a survey I have been conducting for quite some time on wisdom teeth removal. Other experiences were found from other sources such as reviews on Yelp. It has long been known by those who search for wisdom teeth (but not much discussed) that teenage patients who have wisdom teeth extracted often go online afterwards if things don’t go as planned. It appears that some patients are hurt and injured from the extraction and turn for advice on the internet. One such website where I have seen this … Read more