Can You Die From Tooth Extraction?
In general, tooth extraction is safe, although it does carry a small risk of complications. The complications associated with tooth extraction are typically infections or allergic reactions to anaesthesia. Death from tooth extraction is infrequent.
Why Does My Tooth Need To Be Extracted?
Tooth extraction is a quite common dental procedure. In this procedure, a tooth is removed from its socket in the jawbone.
There are numerous reasons why the tooth may need to be extracted:
Infected or decaying tooth
When a tooth decays or becomes infected, it may be impossible to repair it with a filling or a crown. In such cases, the tooth is extracted [1]. Interestingly, tooth decay is the major reason leading to tooth extraction and accounts for about 43-63% of all extractions [2, 3, 4, 5].
Gum disease
Gum disease, also known as periodontal disease, is quite a common reason for tooth extraction. The damage caused by periodontal disease may extend to the pulp (a part of the tooth containing nerves and blood vessels) and may cause infection. Therefore, extraction of an affected tooth is recommended [2, 3, 5].
Crowded teeth
For instance, if you are getting braces, you may need to have one or two teeth removed to provide room for your other teeth. This is because your teeth will shift into place and may clash with some other teeth [6].
In other cases, teeth may also be removed for medical reasons. Sometimes, individuals undergoing chemotherapy or those about to have an organ transplant may also need compromised teeth removed to keep their mouths healthy [6].
How Is Tooth Extraction Executed?
Tooth extraction can be performed in various ways. The method used depends mainly on the condition of the tooth but also on the patient’s overall health.
Typically, tooth extraction starts with administering a local anaesthetic to numb the extraction area and prevent the patient from feeling pain.
If the patient is a child or if more than one tooth is being removed, the dentist may use a more robust general anaesthetic. This allows the patient to sleep throughout the procedure [1, 6].
For a simple extraction, the doctor uses a device called “an elevator,” which helps to loosen the tooth. Then, the tooth is removed using dental forceps [1, 6].
However, surgical extraction is necessary when a molar is being extracted or the tooth sits beneath the gums. This entails making an incision to cut away the gum and bone tissue that covers the tooth. After this is executed, the usual tooth extraction process is followed [1, 6]. If the tooth is complicated to extract, it may be removed in pieces [1, 6].
Nowadays, with the available techniques, 3D imaging and computer planning may be used to perform more complex surgical interactions under general anaesthetic [1, 6, 7, 8].
After the tooth is removed, a blood clot forms in the socket. Sometimes, the oral surgeon stitches the tissue together if necessary for a better recovery [1, 6].
Some people, after the procedure, experience a swollen face. One of the main reasons for facial swelling is inflammation, which is a natural response of the body to injury or trauma. The extraction process can cause damage to the surrounding tissues, leading to inflammation and subsequent swelling.
Can You Die From Tooth Extraction?
Death from tooth extraction is very rare, however it may happen. There have been a few cases reported, that resulted in fatal consequences. However, it is important to say two things, first, this is quite rare and the death results often due to complications rather than the extraction itself.
There were cases reported of patients who died from asphyxia a state in which your body does not get enough oxygen. This happened due to airway obstruction caused by postextraction bleeding [9]. Another similar case was a man who died of asphyxia caused by airway obstruction caused by postextraction hemorrhage [10].
A study in the Netherlands exposed that 40% of the oral surgeons who were surveyed had experienced the death of a patient after oral surgery. According to those, the most deaths occurred after dental extraction. However, these deaths were caused by post-operative spread of infection, failure to survive oncology treatment, and heart or lung failure. Therefore, some were not connected to dental extraction [11].
However, it's crucial to remember that these cases are the exception rather than the rule. The mortality rate associated with dental procedures is extremely low. A review of more than 20 studies found 218 deaths out of 71,435,282 patients, equating to a mortality rate of 1:327,684 [12].