Wisdom Teeth

Can Providing Audiovisual Information Help Relieve Anxiety in Patients Having Wisdom Teeth Removed?

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An interesting article titled “Effect of Audiovisual Treatment Information on Relieving Anxiety in Patients Undergoing Impacted Mandibular Third Molar Removal” written by Sung-Hwan Choi and et al. appears in the 2015 Journal and Oral and Maxilofacial Sugery (vol. 73, pp. 2087-2092). The authors set out to explore if providing patients undergoing wisdom teeth removal an audiovisual slide presentation that provided treatment information could improve patient knowledge of postoperative complications and decrease anxiety. It is well known that patients having wisdom teeth surgery can have anxiety due to the needles and drills involved. Studies have shown that a lack of information about surgery and complications can lead to increased anxiety. Typically a written informed consent document is provided to patients prior to surgery. However, it is not clear how well patients can understand this information. The authors of the article designed a study to provide treatment information using an … Read more

Does the Use of Cone Beam CT for Wisdom Teeth Removal Change the Surgical Approach Compared With Panoramic Radiography?

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An interesting article titled “Does the Use of Cone Beam CT for the Removal of Wisdom Teeth Change the Surgical Approach Compared With Panoramic Radiography?” appears in the Sept. 2015 Journal of Oral Maxilofacial Surgery supplement (vol. 73, issue 9, pg. e12) written by S.P. Aravindaksha. The present study looked at  if the additional information provided by cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images influences the surgical strategy in the treatment of patients with impacted mandibular wisdom teeth in high-risk cases. The study sought to explore if there is any difference in risk assessment for inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) when using CBCT or panoramic radiography. In the study patients with an increased risk of IAN injury, as diagnosed on panoramic radiographs, were enrolled in and underwent additional CBCT imaging. The study consisted of 52 impacted wisdom teeth from 36 patients (20 … Read more

Management of Wisdom Teeth 2016 AAOMS Updates

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The American Association of Oral and Maxilofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) has some additional information they appear to have added more recently to their third molar research news section. For those considering how to best manage their wisdom teeth they should take a look at http://www.aaoms.org/docs/govt_affairs/advocacy_white_papers/management_third_molar_white_paper.pdf and http://www.aaoms.org/images/uploads/pdfs/management_third_molar_supporting_information.pdf. The first document describes what many different oral surgeons groups including AAOMS currently suggest for managing wisdom teeth. The article says “There are a variety of recognized management choices for third molars, including removal, partial removal (coronectomy), retention with active clinical and radiographic surveillance, surgical exposure, tooth repositioning, transplantation, surgical periodontics, and marsupialization of associated soft tissue pathology with observation and possible secondary treatment.” The article says that a decision to remove or retain healthy asymptomatic wisdom teeth should be made before a patient is 30. The position statement is said “Predicated on the … Read more

Trigeminal Nerve Surgery for Neuropathic Pain

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An interesting article titled “Factors Determining Outcome After Trigeminal Nerve Surgery for Neuropathic Pain” appears in the July 2016 issue of Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery written by John R. Zuniga and David M. Yates. It is known that the inferior alveolar and lingual nerves which are part of the trigeminal nerves can be damaged after wisdom teeth surgery. Additional surgery can be performed to repair the trigeminal nerve but in some cases this injury remains and is only partially resolved. The others set out to better explore why neuropathic pain can persist after trigeminal nerve surgery. The study included 28 patients who underwent trigeminal nerve repair in Texas between 2006 and 2014. The patients were grouped into three different cohorts: 1) those who had no recurrence (NR) were any neuropathic pain went away, 2) those who had complete recurrence (CR) were the … Read more

Can you Use Low Level Laser Therapy After Wisdom Teeth Removal to Reduce Pain?

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An interesting article titled “Is Low-Level Laser Therapy Effective in the Management of Pain and Swelling After Mandibular Third Molar Surgery?” appears in the July, 2016, issue of Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and written by Majid Eshghpour, Farzaneh Ahrari, and Mohammad Takallu. The article seeks to explore if using low-level laser therapy after removing impacted wisdom teeth can reduce pain and swelling. In the study 40 patients included had lower impacted wisdom teeth on both sides. One side was subjected to lower level laser therapy and the other side just placebo. After removing wisdom teeth patients often experience pain, swelling, and tristmus for several days. Pain usually reaches a peak 3 to 5 hours after surgery while swelling peaks around 12 to 48 hours later. The trauma that occurs during surgery leads to inflammation which causes these other symptoms. Surgeons typically prescribe … Read more