Splint therapy has become one of the most prevalent aspects of dentistry over the last number of years. Patients are presenting with multiple reasons for needing this type of dental intervention. From TMJ pain to severely wearing away the enamel of their natural teeth, the devastation and destruction that bruxing and clenching (parafunction) can cause … Read more
Following the Extraction of an Impacted Maxillary Wisdom Tooth The on-call team of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery was notified to assess and treat a complication of retrobulbar hemorrhage and hematoma following the extraction of a left impacted maxillary wisdom tooth. This case is unusual as an ophthalmologic complication secondary to a dental extraction is very … Read more
Foreign bodies in the cheek, face or oral cavity may be the result of traumatic injuries, self-inflicted or iatrogenic dental or surgical procedures. Penetrating pencil and pen injuries have been reported in the literature, most commonly in children, with the head and neck being the most common site. 1 Injuries from pens and pencils can … Read more
The retrieval of a broken dental needle demands a detailed knowledge of the relevant anatomy and the application of a meticulous surgical technique. These factors are emphasized in the following article. Case Report Our oral surgery office received a phone call from a dental office regarding a needle that broke off at the hub while … Read more
Abstract Tetanus is a serious, life threatening infection caused by the bacterium, Clostridium tetani. Due to almost widespread vaccination against tetanus toxoid the incidence in the developed world is extremely low. Vaccination in childhood does not result in lifelong immunity and requires “booster” doses of the vaccination every ten years. In the United States, the … Read more
Abstract Inadvertent displacement of teeth or fragments of teeth beyond the tooth socket during extraction is an uncommon occurrence. In this paper, we present two cases of displacement of impacted third molars, one maxillary and one mandibular. We outline our removal technique as well as some general management considerations, should this situation arise. Most importantly … Read more
Often referred to as “numb chin syndrome”, mental nerve neuropathy is a sensory neuropathy characterized by an altered sensory perception along the distribution of the mental nerve. Patients may present with anesthesia, paresthesia, dysesthesia, neuropathic pain or a combination of these symptoms. The impact that these symptoms can have on a patient cannot be underestimated. … Read more
It behooves me to talk about CAOMS as a recently appointed executive director to the organization. Let me first mention I’ll be as excited as uncomfortable trying to walk in shoes quite larger in size than my small footprint. So happens when one follows Chris Robinson in a task. Back at consonants and vowels: C … Read more
Middle age, for me, has produced all kinds of wonderful little miracles – like hair growing out of my ear, and a sporadic weird eye twitch. These, although not exactly pleasing, have been expected. One thing that I hadn’t expected was the onset of cranky friends. These are people, for whom, life has been pretty … Read more
As I gathered the submissions to this month’s Oral Surgery issue, I could not help but notice that most of the papers submitted dealt with complications following extractions or a related procedure. I did a search of the world literature in PubMed on “complications and dental extractions” and to my surprise, there were more than … Read more