L58/80. Extraction Complications Flashcards
What are (immediate) intra-operative/ peri-operative complications?
Complications that arise either during the surgery, or shortly after (within a couple of hours~)
What are post-operative complications?
Post-operative complications can either be short-term (hours/ days after the surgery), or long-term (weeks/ months)
List some peri-operative complications?
- Difficulty of access;
- Abnormal resistance;
- Fracture of tooth/ root;
- Fracture of alveolar plate;
- Fracture of tuberosity;
- Jaw fracture (more commonly mandible);
- Involvement of maxillary antrum/ sinus;
- Loss of tooth;
- Soft tissue damage;
- Damage to nerves/ vessels;
- Haemorrhage;
- Dislocation of the TMJ;
- Damage to adjacent teeth/ restorations;
- Extraction of permanent tooth germ;
- Broken instruments;
- Wrong tooth.
What can cause difficulty of access to a tooth?
- Limited mouth opening/ trismus;
- Reduced aperture of mouth (congenital/ syndromes/ scarring);
- Crowded/ malpositioned teeth.
What is trismus?
Difficulty in mouth opening due to muscle spasms (MOM), sometimes referred to as lockjaw
What should you do if you’re struggling to access a tooth for extraction?
- Take time;
- Make sure you can see properly;
- Light;
- Patient position;
- Your position.
What can cause abnormal resistance?
- Thick cortical bone;
- Shape/ form of roots (divergence/ hooked);
- Number of roots;
- Hypercementosis (extra cementum);
- Ankylosis (fused to bone).
If you’re struggling to extract a tooth due to abnormal resistance, what should you do?
- Leave the tooth for a minute or two;
- This can help inflammation of the PDL (which has occurred due to pressure) subside;
- Lead to oedema which can help to loosen the tooth.
What can make a tooth more likely to fracture?
- Caries;
- Alignment (crowded/ position);
- Size;
- Crown:root ratio;
- Root(s).
What is the most important thing to do to prevent fracture of the crown of a tooth during an extraction?
- Position forcep beaks below the crown of the tooth;
- Beaks should be placed just on to the roots, below the bone and gum.
What areas of alveolar bone (bone around socket) are most likely to fracture during an extraction?
- Buccal plate of;
- Buttress around canines;
- Molar region.
[can happen anywhere]
What is the most important thing to do to prevent fracture of alveolar bone?
Mobilise the tooth (with elevators/ luxators) before pulling the tooth buccally
If alveolar bone is fractured during an extraction, what must you check on the fractured bone?
Periosteal attachment
[If present - still vascular - might be able to put back in place and suture; If absent - must remove as would otherwise necrose (become a sequestrum) and cause pain]
What must you be careful of with broken bone?
Sharp edges!
[use bone files to check for uneven edges]
What can increase the risk of fracture of the mandible?
- Impacted wisdom teeth;
- Large cysts (weakens);
- Atrophic mandible (very thin);
- Application of force.
What is the most important part of extraction technique to prevent fracture of the alveolar bone/ jaw?
Jaw support!
[Fingers on either side of alveolus and thumb under mandible - sometimes requires assistance]
How should you manage fracture of a jaw?
- Inform patient;
- Post-op radiograph (if you have access to OPT);
- Refer (maxillofacial/ A&E/ dental hospital);
- If they require a GA, inform them not to eat;
- Ensure analgesia;
- Stabilise (wire);
- If any delay, antibiotic cover.
What complications can arise with involvement of the maxillary antrum?
- OAC/ OAF;
- Loss of root/tooth into antrum;
- Fractured tuberosity.
What is the difference between an oro-antral communication (OAC) and oro-antral fistula (OAF)?
OAC: immediate (acute) situation, communication between maxillary antrum and oral cavity
OAF: epithelial lined OAC (chronic)
Which teeth are most likely to cause maxillary antrum involvement?
Canines and back
In what ways can you determine/ diagnose an OAC?
- Tear on palate (due to sharp fractured bone tearing overlying soft tissues);
Size of tooth upon extraction; - Radiographic position of roots in relation to antrum;
- Bone as trifurcation of roots;
- Bubbling of blood (when you look into socket);
- Nose holding test (be careful not to create an OAC doing this);
- Direct vision;
- Good light and suction, listen for echo;
- Blunt probe (be careful not to create an OAC doing this);
- Squeeze on area - puss.
How should you manage a small OAC? (i.e. if sinus in tact)
- Inform patient;
- Encourage clot;
- Suture margins;
- Antibiotic (sinus exposed to oral cavity);
- Post-op instructions;
- Monitor.
How should you manage a large OAC? (i.e. if lining torn)
- Inform patient;
- Close with buccal advancement flap (tension free!);
- Antibiotics and nose blowing/ steam inhalation instructions.
What is a buccal advancement flap?
- Used for closure of OAC/ OAF;
- If OAF, must remove epithelial lined tube;
- Use of buccal flap of tissue, advanced over hole to meet palatal mucosa;
- Must release underlying periosteum (allows tissue to become elastic);
- Sutured in place (generally non-resorbing for 2 weeks).