Wisdom Teeth

Sweeten dental injections to reduce pain for kids

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A new article titled “Efficacy of administering a sugar-free flavor before dental injections on pain perception in children: A split-mouth randomized crossover clinical trial” appears in International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry written by Ola B. Al-Batayneh and et. al. (April 16, 2024). Getting a shot at the dentist can be scary for kids, but a this study suggests a simple trick might help: sugar-free flavoring. Researchers compared giving kids a sugar-free flavor before a dental injection to giving them plain water. The study included 84 children ages 4 to 9 who needed injections on both sides of their mouths. One side received injections after a sugar-free flavor was applied, and the other side received water. Image by Jenny Friedrichs from Pixabay The kids had their heart rates measured as an objective indicator of pain using a fingertip pulse oximeter. Further … Read more

Family of Teen who Died During Wisdom Teeth Removal in Washington State Files Lawsuit

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What should have been a routine wisdom tooth removal tragically ended in the death of 17-year-old male. The oral surgeon, allegedly failed to recognize and properly respond to a common anesthesia-related complication, leading to the teens death in June of 2024 . On December 9th 2024, the parents of the deceased teen filed a lawsuit against the oral surgeon in Washington state, alleging medical malpractice and negligence. “Double Duty” Surgery Raises Concerns: The lawsuit claims that the oral surgeon acted as both the surgeon and the anesthesiologist during the procedure, a practice that increases the risk of complications. “With almost all surgeries, it is standard practice for anesthesia to be administered by someone devoting their full attention to the patient,” stated one of the lawyers, representing the family. “When a surgeon splits their jobs to double their profits, it opens … Read more

Teeth Problems are a Result of our Jaws Changing

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An interesting article titled “Why We Have So Many Problems with Our Teeth” appeared in Scientific America written by By Peter S. Ungar (paleontologist and dental anthropologist) on April 1, 2020 (322, 4, 44-49). The article discusses how human jaws today are very different than that of our ancestors. In fact today our jaws can be consider underdeveloped due to less chewing that occurs and has kept our teeth from fitting properly into our mouths. The author states ” Nine in 10 people have teeth that are at least slightly misaligned, or maloccluded, and three quarters of us have wisdom teeth that do not have enough room to emerge properly. Simply put, our teeth do not fit in our jaws.” The author says that teeth no longer fit into jaws because human diets have changed over the years to use softer more processed foods … Read more

Cinematic rendering to visualize teeth segmentation

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An interesting article titled “Cinematic rendering to improve visualization of supplementary and ectopic teeth using CT datasets” written by Ines Willershausen and et. al. appears in Dentomaxillofacial Radiology in 2023 (no. 51, 20230058). The article discusses cinematic rendering (CR) which is a visualization technique that uses physically based volume rendering to create photorealistic images from Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) data. Specifically the article attempts to tailor pre-existing CR reconstruction parameters for use in dental imaging to create 3D visualization of ectopic, impacted, and supplementary teeth. This image is from Ines Willershausen and et. al., “Cinematic rendering to improve visualization of supplementary and ectopic teeth using CT datasets,” Dentomaxillofacial Radiology, 2023, no. 51, 20230058 and has a Creative Commons license. 7-year-old girl with a horizontally impacted canine (a) A panoramic radiograph. (b) Semi-transparent reconstruction parameters are utilized to … Read more

Lemierre’s Syndrome After Wisdom Teeth Extraction

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One possible complicaton after wisdom teeth extraction is known as Lemierre’s Syndrome. Lemierre’s Syndrome is a rare complication with limited cases being reported that can happen after having wisdom teeth extracted. Since antibiotics have been introduced it is also referred to as “the forgotten disease.” It has been covered on this site before, and is listed as a complication of wisdom teeth removal at http://www.teethremoval.com/complications.html. Lemierre’s Syndrome starts with an infection in the head and neck region and presents with swelling, a high fever, neck pain, and a sore throat. It has a high mortality rate of 18% and thus imaging and antibiotic treatment are of the upmost importance if it presents. Diagnosis involves laboratory results including blood cultures and radiological scans such as CT imaging. Particularly, a CT scan with contrast can identify a thrombosed vein, such as the … Read more