Wisdom Teeth

Does Keeping Wisdom Teeth Lead to More Lower Jaw Fractures?

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An interesting article titled “Does an Association Exist Between the Presence of Lower Third Molar and Mandibular Angle Fractures?: A Meta-Analysis” written by Ruela et al. appears in the 2018 edition of the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (vol. 76, pp. 34-45). The article seeks to explore if having wisdom teeth can lead to more lower jaw fractures and specifically mandibular angle fractures. In the article the authors argue how in the past some have argued for the prophylactic (preventative) removal of wisdom teeth to prevent mandibular angle fractures. This is because the mandibular angle occupies an area that should be filled with bone and by having teeth in this area it is susceptible to be 2 to 3 times or likely to fracture. To investigate this the authors performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to look at studies … Read more

Preventing Lingual Nerve Damage After Wisdom Teeth Extraction

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An interesting article titled “Prevention of Lingual Nerve Injury in Third Molar Surgery: Literature Review” written by Pippi et al. appears in the 2017 edition of the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (vol. 75, pp. 890-900). The article discusses attempting to identify any factors that could influence if a patient suffers lingual nerve damage after wisdom teeth removal. In the study the authors reviewed previous literature published up until February 2016 that pertained to lingual nerve injuries after wisdom teeth surgery. From the literature review the authors analyzed three different surgical techniques used for wisdom teeth removal: 1) buccal approach, 2) lingual split technique, and 3) buccal approach plus lingual flap retraction in order to determine if their were any differences on lingual nerve injuries. The authors also evaluated the association between nerve damage and tooth sectioning or ostectomy. … Read more

Is there a Difference in Complications following Wisdom Teeth Removal when using Local Anesthesia versus General Anesthesia?

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An interesting article titled “Retrospective multivariable comparison for complications of third molar surgery performed under general versus local anaesthesia” written by Beteramia et al. appears in Oral Surgery in 2019 (vol. 12, pp. 96-103). The article seeks to explore if there is a difference in the amount of complications that occur during or after wisdom teeth surgery when using local anesthesia or when using general anesthesia. In the article the authors discuss complications that can happen during wisdom teeth removal including excessive bleeding, injury to the inferior alveolar and lingual nerves, damage to the adjacent second molar, alveolar bone fracture, and displacement of tooth fragments into fascial spaces and complications that can happen after wisdom teeth removal including alveolar osteitis (dry socket), a secondary infection, and hemorrhage. These complications are discussed more over at http://www.teethremoval.com/complications.html. The authors further discuss how … Read more

Using Stem Cells from Teeth to Regrow Injured Teeth

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An interesting article titled “Deciduous autologous tooth stem cells regenerate dental pulp after implantation into injured teeth,” by Xuan et al. appears in Science Translational Medicine (vol. 10, no. 455, 2018, Published August 22, 2018). The article discusses the results of a clinical trial using stem cells extracted from baby teeth to regrow tissue in teeth that have been injured. In the past articles on this site have discussed storing wisdom teeth stem cells with the hopes that they could one day be used to heal other body tissues. While this study did not use stem cells from wisdom teeth, but instead stem cells from baby teeth, it helps demonstrate some of the possibilities that may exist in the future. In the study by Xuan et al., the authors were motivated by some previous studies with mice. A further motivation … Read more

Reasons to Avoid Amoxicillin For Healthy Patients in Conjunction with Wisdom Teeth Surgery

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An interesting article titled “Dental Care Professionals Should Avoid the Administration of Amoxicillin in Healthy Patients During Third Molar Surgery: Is Antibiotic Resistence the Only Problem?” appears in the 2016 edition of the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (vol. 74, pp.1512-1513) written by Aragon-Martinez et al. The article discusses some of the reasons why antibiotics such as amoxicillin should not be given to healthy patients having wisdom teeth extracted. The topic of whether or not to have antiobitics before or after wisdom teeth surgery has been discussed on this site before, see for example 1) Antibiotics for Dental Use Contributing to SuperBugs 2) Patient’s Perception of Antibiotic Need After Teeth Removal, and 3) The Effect of a Single Dose of Antibiotics Prior to Wisdom Teeth Surgery. In the article by Aragon-Martinez it is discussed how amoxicillin dosages for wisdom … Read more