The parents of Jenny Olenick, 17, who died during wisdom tooth removal surgery last April have sued the oral surgeon and anesthesiologist who performed the procedure for medical malpractice, according to Yahoo News. Olenick, then a high school junior in Maryland, died from complications that arose during the routine outpatient procedure.
The parents filed suit a civil lawsuit alleging that the surgeon and the anesthesiologist were negligent and failed to resuscitate Olenick after her heart rate and blood levels had dropped during the standard tooth removal proceeding. According to reports, the parents wish to highlight the actual risks that accompany wisdom tooth removal surgery and bring to the forefront the need for improvements in emergency training for oral surgeons to avoid similar occurrences in the future.
Wisdom Tooth Removal: A Necessary Preventative Measure?
After hearing Jenny Olenick’s story, it made me wonder whether this surgery is always necessary. It has long been the theory that wisdom tooth removal is necessary to prevent future infections and problems that can result from impacted wisdom teeth. Nonetheless, just because a person’s wisdom teeth are impacted does not automatically mean that problems will result.
According to Jay Friedman, a retired California dentist, the risk of future complications that can result from leaving wisdom teeth where they rest are substantially outweighed by the risks posed by removal. Some of the risks of the surgery include nerve damage,permanent jaw damage, and in the most severe circumstances hypoxia and death.
Notwithstanding the risks, the wisdom tooth removal business remains a billion dollar business as millions of teens have their teeth removed each year. Thus, it causes one to question the motives of this surgery as a prophylactic measure.
At the bare minimum I hope that this unfortunate case will highlight the risks of the surgery and cause parents to think twice before signing on the dotted line when a dentist proposes one of these procedures as a preventative measure.
What do you think?
