Can You Die From Wisdom Teeth Removal? A question is circulating all over social media. Parents are worried about taking their kids to the dentist for wisdom teeth removal.
Are the news circulating about death after tooth extraction correct, and should be believed? If not, what about the teen dies after wisdom teeth?
Many news channels reported that kids die after their wisdom tooth removal. However, this is not true in all cases. Make sure to stay with your kids during the operation and take immediate action in an emergency.
Well, to cater to all of your queries, here is detailed content. We will evaluate accurate facts about the chances of death from wisdom teeth removal and the survival rate of wisdom teeth surgery to give you an accurate idea of whether wisdom teeth should be pulled?
So, here you go:
Can You Die From Wisdom Teeth Removal? – People Died From Wisdom
Every year, some deaths are reported due to wisdom teeth removal, which leads people to rethink, Can You Die from Wisdom Teeth Removal.
Here are some news reports about the death from wisdom teeth removal:
2011, a 17-year-old Jenny Olenick died after routine wisdom tooth surgery:
Jenny Olenick went to her regular wisdom tooth removal surgery, but within 15 minutes, her parents received an emergency call. Their daughter was shifted to the hospital, where she died.
Jenny died due to over-anesthesia and deprivation of oxygen. Her death was ruled to be an accident during the tooth surgery due to the dentist’s negligence.
2013, a 24-year-old guy died due to wisdom teeth removal in California:
A 24-year-old guy, Marek Lapinski from California, died unexpectedly after having his wisdom teeth removed. He was a software engineer and went to routine wisdom teeth removal surgery.
According to reports, during the procedure, he woke up and coughed so hard during the process. Paramedical staff was called who found two pieces of surgical gauze in Lapinski’s airways.
He was immediately transferred to the hospital, where he died three days later. According to the report, the reason for death remained unknown.
2015, Sydney Galleger, 17, died due to wisdom teeth removal surgery:
In 204, another death was reported of a 17-year-old girl, Sydney Galleger. Miss Galleger was a vibrant and active student that unfortunately died due to cardiac arrest during her wisdom teeth removal surgery.
The family went to the court and alleged the dentist for not appropriately anticipating or responding to their daughter’s condition and failed to provide proper monitoring.
Reportedly, Miss Galleger suffered several seizures on June 15 as well. However, the parents accepted a $2M settlement in 2017.
How Many Chances are there of Death From Wisdom Teeth Removal?
“1 out of 365,000”, American Association for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
Chances of death from wisdom tooth removal are minimal. On the reported deaths, American Association for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons said cases like Olenick, Lapinski, or Galleger are tragic but rare.
According to American Association for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons records, there is 1 out of 365,000 chance of death from wisdom teeth removal during anesthesia or other opportunities.
Death From Anesthesia Wisdom Teeth:
Some deaths were reported due to anesthesia during wisdom tooth removal surgery. During anesthesia, the body functions become slower, even the heart rate. For some time, it is normal; however, it should be monitored continuously during the procedure.
Many times, when oxygen levels lack too much due to over anesthesia, the brain couldn’t get enough of it. A longer duration of oxygen deprivation can lead to a person becoming brain dead. This was what happened in the Jenny Olenick case.
Do you have Seizures After Wisdom Teeth Removal?
Mainly, seizures occur at the start of the wisdom teeth removal surgery due to intravascular injections. In some cases, seizures can reoccur after 20 to 30 minutes due to the concentration of the drug.
However, these risks of seizures can be minimized with routine precautions and by following proper guidelines.
Seizures at the start are regular.
The Survival Rate of Wisdom Teeth Surgery
The survival rate of wisdom teeth surgery is much higher than the death rate. Do not be misled by the news and hashtags on social media.
According to American Association for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, there is only a 1 percent chance of death due to wisdom tooth surgery in 365 million cases.
It means that 365 million wisdom tooth surgeries survive death.
However, to get a successful wisdom tooth removal procedure, you are advised to go to an expert dentist than a hobbyist and try to talk to them about your concerns in advance.
Do check their medical facilities and emergency help before booking an appointment. A dentist with a high success rate should be higher.
Ask to stay with your kids during the process to avoid complications.
Wisdom Teeth Removal Complications
Can You Die from Wisdom Teeth Removal risks? No! Like any other surgery, wisdom tooth removal also carries minimal health issues and can be avoided using proper medications and following the prescribed instructions.
Wisdom Teeth Removal Complications are:
Dry Socket:
Within 3 to 5 days of surgery, there are chances of a dry socket event occurring.
When a blood clot in the tooth socket fails to develop or disappears completely, the condition is called a Dry Socket.
The empty or dry socket aches or throbbing pain like a toothache in the jaws or gums. You might also experience an unpleasant odor or bad taste from that dry, empty socket.
Dry socket complications can occur:
- Due to not following the dentist’s instructions
- Smoking
- Infections
- You are over 25
However, it can easily be treated with medications.
Nerve Injury:
Wisdom Teeth Removal Complication is nerve injury. However, it is pretty rare to occur. During this, you might feel a tingling sensation in the tongue, lower lip, chin, teeth, or gums. You might also feel numbness around the area.
It stays for some time and later gets revealed. During this, you might see problems in eating, chewing, drinking, etc.
To avoid this, always go to an experienced dentist or surgeon to lower the risk of any complication during the procedure.
Talk to your doctor about this beforehand.
Infections:
If you do not follow doctors’ prescribed tooth hygiene-related instructions correctly, the risk of Wisdom Teeth Removal Complications like infections will increase.
During infection, a person can get a high fever. You might also experience yellow or white-colored discharge from where your wisdom tooth was pulled. The pain of swelling infections can also occur.
To avoid this, you must take care the proper hygiene. Try not to eat junk food during the early days of healing your tooth surgery or foods that require hard chewing.
However, consult your doctor for cleanliness and medications if you have developed infections.
Bleeding:
If you eat hard foods like nuts, there are chances that you might hurt your wound that’s still healing and cause bleeding.
If bleeding is minor, gargling with cold water might help. Try to rinse your mouth thoroughly until the bleeding stops.
However, consult your dentist immediately in case of heavy bleeding.
Scared of Dying During Wisdom Teeth Removal – What to Do?
It is okay to feel Scared of dying during wisdom teeth removal, especially when you come upfront of news like deaths happened during wisdom tooth removal.
If you often find yourself asking Can You Die from Wisdom Teeth Removal, make sure to remind yourself that chances are only 1 in 300 million that are near to being nil.
Here are some things you can do to keep from teeth removal fear of dying during wisdom teeth removal:
- Check your dentists’ record before hiring him that how many successes he had during his career, and if there were complicated cases.
- You should also keep an eye on the facilities and emergency help available at the clinic. It is just to make sure of safety.
- Talk to your doctor beforehand that you are Scared of dying during wisdom teeth removal.
- If you have it in mind, don’t worry about asking Can You Die from Wisdom Teeth Removal.
- Talk to the people who already had their wisdom teeth removed.
- Read tooth removal success stories
- Keep your mind free
- Get one wisdom teeth removal at one time.
- You can ask your doctor to keep you awake during the procedure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Before moving toward the end, here are some frequently asked questions:
How to sleep after wisdom teeth removal?
On the first few nights of your wisdom teeth extraction, make sure to sleep with your head elevated by putting dual pillows under your head. You make yourself comfortable by piling up pillows behind your back to get proper sleep.
What day is most painful after wisdom teeth?
You might feel some pain for a few early days of your wisdom tooth removal. However, according to patients, the second day following surgery can be the most painful and hard day for you.
In case of severe pain, you can call your doctor. They might prescribe you some painkillers or sleeping pills so that you can get some sleep to avoid pain.
Is it normal to have pain 3 days after wisdom teeth removal?
If you feel pain within 3 days of wisdom teeth removal. There are chances you might have developed a Dry Socket. Consult your dentist in this regard and follow the instructions.
Final Words
We hope that now you are sure that the answer to your query Can You Die from Wisdom Teeth Removal, is no. If you need more information on health, visit our website.