Having wisdom tooth removal at the first sign of problems can save you from complex and costly procedures later on. When the wisdom teeth present problems, they need to be removed as soon as possible. If you haven't had your wisdom teeth removed, you'd be smart to see a dentist about your specific symptoms and risk factors before you undergo surgery (or mouth off the entire procedure).įollow Elizabeth on Twitter and Instagram.Wisdom Teeth Removal: Why Early Intervention Is Best? Research suggests that the preoperative risks of wisdom tooth removal increase after age 25. "But people should not be subjected to any risk when there are not sound, evidence-based reasons to undergo that - or any - surgery." "If there are legitimate reasons to have the teeth removed, they should be removed, preferably with a local anesthetic, which reduces risks," Dr. Detractors says that wisdom teeth problems aren't much more common than appendicitis, and doctors would never remove a patient's appendix to mitigate that risk. Friedman estimates that only 30 percent of surgeries are warranted.) This is why some medical experts argue that the procedure is unnecessary (and unnecessarily dangerous) for most people. Of course even one death is still one too many, especially because so many young and perfectly healthy people get their wisdom teeth removed as a preventative measure - with no signs of pain, damage to adjacent teeth, or other symptoms that might warrant an invasive surgery. And while the procedure can also spread infections and cause bleeding that can lead to cardiac arrest, the risks are relatively low, he adds. Still, it's worth putting the risks in perspective: While experts don't know exactly how many deaths are associated with wisdom tooth extraction, they estimate that upwards of 5 million Americans get their wisdom teeth removed every year, while only about 1 in 365,000 patients suffer a brain injury or death when they are sedated during oral surgery, according to a decade worth of health records collected by the OMS National Insurance Company (OMSNIC).Īlso worth noting: Wisdom teeth can be removed without IV-sedation or general anesthesia, which increases the risk of other injuries such as nerve damage and the jaw condition known as TMJ, Dr. "Most deaths occurring during or after wisdom tooth extraction occur in normal, healthy people, and are related to IV sedation or general anesthesia," explains Jay Friedman, DDS, a retired general dentist who authored an influential American Journal of Public Health paper on the risks of wisdom teeth removal. The cause was brain damage from oxygen deprivation while under anesthesia during the procedure, reports Today.) (In 2011, another teen died 10 days after her wisdom teeth were removed. It doesn't help that freak accidents related to wisdom teeth removal crop up every couple of years. She died yesterday, survived by her parents and brother.īecause everyone knows somebody who has had their wisdom teeth removed, this news isn't just tragic, it's terrifying. The teen, who may have had an undiagnosed heart condition that could have been exacerbated by general anesthesia, was rushed to the hospital, where she spent seven days suffering numerous seizures, brain swelling, and surgery to reduce the pressure from brain swelling. In truly horrible news: 17-year-old Sydney Gallegar from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, died recently from complications triggered by a routine removal of her wisdom teeth, according to a journal entry her mother posted on late last night.ĭuring the outpatient procedure at her dentist's office just last week, the seemingly healthy Sydney went into cardiac arrest.
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