Occasionally, we see cases that have had previous treatment, retreatment, and apicoectomy, often times many decades ago, and now require intervention. The prognosis on these cases is often guarded at best, and it is great that we have dental implants as an option. If a tooth has a fractured root or is in [...]

Besides being easier on the patient, minimally invasive surgery to remove the esophagus of patients with esophageal cancer can also greatly reduce the risk of lung infection compared to traditional open surgery, a new study finds. Dutch researchers also found that patients who undergo this less-invasive procedure have much shorter hospital stays and a better [...]

A few articles have been recently released in late 2010 discussing third molars (wisdom teeth) among those serving in the military. Guidelines from NICE and SIGN as stated over at http://www.teethremoval.com/wisdomteeth.html due state that those who have a certain occupation such as in the armed forces should certainly strongly consider having wisdom teeth removed before [...]

An interesting articled titled “The evidence base for oral and maxillofacial surgery: 10-year analysis of two journals,” appeared in the January 2012 edition of the British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (vol. 50, issue 1, pages 45-48) wirrten by Amandip Sandhu. The author opens by discussing an editorial in the Lancet in 1996 which [...]

A question that everyone who has wisdom teeth wants to know these days is the following: “If you use Computed Tomography (CT) can it lower the risk of developing a nerve injury from having wisdom teeth removed?” Three authors from Spain (Sanmarti-Garcia, Valmaseda0-Castellon, Gay-Escoda) recently conducted a study asking this question titled “Does Computed Tomography [...]

A recent study titled “An Evaluation of Patients’ Knowledge About Perioperative Information for Third Molar Removal,” appears in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (vol. 70, pages 12 – 18, 2012). The study attempts to look at what patients know about third molar (wisdom teeth) removal before having surgery performed. The study was conducted [...]

Music teacher Lauren Reed remembers waking up from her jaw replacement operation without a headache. It was the first time in 20 years she had been without the pain. “It is amazing, it’s like they worked a miracle. I went through terrible pain every day of my life before the surgery. I used to escape [...]

Recently the American Dental Association (ADA) has released a Patient Education DVD series called Toothflix. It contains 23 different video segments which explore different topics designed to educate patients on their oral health and prevention and treatment strategies. The complete series including all 23 segments currently is available for $699. Each segment is around [...]

Clinicians need a protocol to reduce the risk of substantial bleeding after dental extractions in cardiac patients who take anticoagulant medications. Findings in a study published in the current issue of the Journal of Oral Implantology reveal that the use of leukocyte- and platelet-rich fibrin biomaterial, a material commonly used in dentistry to improve healing [...]

Unfortunately another case of a person dieing after having wisdom teeth removed has occurred. See this page for some additional information on death from wisdom teeth removal. In this case a young 14 year old boy died within 24 hours after having his wisdom teeth removed. This story has been covered over at DailyMail located [...]