Dental Breakdown – 4 Of The Most Bizarre Dental Emergencies To Ever Go Down
Dentists, hygienists and even dental receptionists have truly seen it all. While no dental emergency is ever a comfortable situation, there are plenty of cases that will leave anyone gasping! Here are four tales that have left a dentist’s chair to become some of the strangest dental stories to have occurred:
1. DIY Dentist With Superglue
A famous story of creative but highly questionable home dental work is a case in England of a woman who felt afraid seeing the dentist about her declining dental health. Rather than facing her fears she decided to keep her smile intact by using superglue on her teeth to stop them from falling out. Eventually, she did seek professional help, and had to have most of her teeth removed and replaced with titanium screws. If only she’d looked at other options such as porcelain veneers or other non-invasive techniques, she could have transformed her smile without the trauma and highly invasive surgery!
2. Plier Tooth Extraction
While you may have heard jokes or old-time tales about the use of pliers for dental extractions, there is a series of terrifying assault cases that occurred in New Zealand, wherein the accused used pliers and tools like screwdrivers to remove their victim’s teeth.
While these actions were violent attacks, there are people who will look into DIY solutions for extractions rather than paying a professional. This almost always causes more damage than relief as you risk permanent damage, leaving part of your tooth in your gums and infections from using non-medical grade tools. In the most serious cases an infection of the gums can lead to septicemia, which can be potentially fatal if not treated immediately. If you experience soreness in your teeth, always talk to a dentist about your options.
3. Tooth or Garden?
A much more light-hearted tale and serious reminder on the importance of regular flossing is a story about an interesting discovery during a patient’s root canal procedure. While cleaning their patient’s root and gum, the dentist came across some food, identified as seeds lodged deep in the gums. Where it gets weirder is, the dentist could see that there were some visible, tiny sprouts emerging from the seed. This story produced the quote, “I realised it was a tomato seed sprouting a plant” from the operating dentist!
While getting small bits of food stuck between your teeth and gums is common while eating, especially with smaller food items like seeds, it’s important that you maintain your oral hygiene by brushing and flossing your teeth every day.
4. One Mouth, 232 Teeth
A very interesting case is that of a boy in India who was found to have 232 teeth in total. Unlike the above stories which were the result of people’s actions, this extreme characteristic came down to a very rare medical condition called composite odontoma. This resulted in the boy experiencing a set of benign tumors that grew teeth inside of them. After a seven-hour procedure, the excessive teeth were removed and the patient has since fully recovered. The dentists who operated had never seen anything like this before. Fortunately, this bizarre case and its happy ending have been shared all around the world.
As shocking as the stories may seem, they also inspire gratitude for our dentists and the work that they do. If you are experiencing any discomfort, are unhappy with your dental appearance or notice anything unusual in your mouth, always seek help from a reliable dental professional.
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