Every year, thousands of people have their wisdom teeth removed. Wisdom teeth, which are the third set of molars, are often removed when a person is in their teenage years up to their late twenties. The teeth often do not break through the gum until people are in their teens or twenties and some wisdom teeth never erupt and stay completely in the gum tissue. If the teeth do erupt from the gums, it can be painful. Removal is not always necessary, but it is a common preventative measure to avoid teeth crowding, eruption, infection, and pain. Delayed removal can also increase a person’s risk of developing complications. The dentist or oral surgeon will advise their patient of options in regards to removal after examination and x-rays are taken.
While a common procedure, wisdom tooth removal does carry risks as with all surgical procedures. Bruising, bleeding, and difficulty opening one’s mouth are also risks, but often resolve during recovery. “Dry socket” can also occur and is caused by loss of the blood clot from the extraction site. While incredibly painful, dry socket is not a permanent injury. Permanent injuries can include bone splinters, jaw fractures and lingual nerve injuries. The bottom jaw is also filled with nerve endings that allow us to taste and feel texture with our tongue. The rate of occurrence of lingual nerve injuries is difficult to estimate because the degree of the injury to the lingual nerve and resulting symptoms can vary so widely. A lingual nerve injury is a devastating event for the injured person. Some lingual nerve injuries will heal within a few days of the procedure and some lingual nerve injuries are permanent. While lingual nerve injuries can occur during tooth extraction due to the location of the teeth, they can be caused by the dentist’s instruments. Once the lingual nerve is injured by being severed or nicked by a drill or other instrument, the patient will likely experience some degree of numbness, pain, tingling or lack of sensation in that area of their mouth. Even if the teeth are tilted, difficult to remove, infected, or the patient delayed removal, the dentist or oral surgeon must still take the same degree of care and seek to minimize the risks and damage to the patient during the removal.
Lingual nerve injuries during tooth extraction are something that everyone should consider when choosing a dentist or oral surgeon. Find out how many of these procedures the dentist or oral surgeon has done, whether they experienced in removal of impacted teeth, and whether they’ve ever had a malpractice claim filed against them. It is also imperative to ask the dentist’s expectations for your recovery after removal. If friends or family members have had their wisdom teeth removed a referral to their dentist can often be the best way of finding a well-qualified dentist or oral surgeon.Cadmium is a known carcinogen. Like lead, it can hinder brain development in the very young, according to recent research. Unfortunately, now that lead is heavily regulated under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, Chinese manufacturers have turned to cadmium for the manufacture of children's jewelry.
A recent investigation by the Associated Press of children's jewelry items sold at national and regional chains or franchises (e.g. Walmart, Dollar Store) showed that 12 percent of the items tested contained at least 10 percent cadmium by weight, while certain items registered cadmium content as high as 91 percent to 84 percent by weight. Among popular items, high amounts of cadmium were detected in "The Princess and The Frog" movie-themed pendants.
The testing also showed that some items easily shed the heavy metal. This raises serious concerns since it means children don't have to swallow an item to be exposed -- they can get persistent, low-level doses by regularly sucking or biting jewelry with a high cadmium content.
Unfortunately, there are no cadmium content restrictions for jewelry. What cadmium regulations exist for consumer products apply only to painted toys.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has never recalled an item due to high cadmium content.
Click here to read more.
Salami sold in Costco, Walmart and elsewhere is being recalled in a nationwide salmonella outbreak linked to pepper-coated salami sold by Rhode Island-based Daniele Inc.
The first cases related to the outbreak were reported in Oregon in July. So far, 184 people have been sickened nationwide, with eight cases in Oregon and 14 in Washington state. The national Center for Disease Control and Prevention said more than 35 people have been hospitalized nationwide, although no one has yet died. It is not clear whether anyone in Oregon had been hospitalized.
The particular strain of salmonella involved, Montevideo, is a relatively common cause of food poisoning.
Click here to read more on OregonLive.com.
Today, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary recall of 1.5 million Graco Passage™, Alano™ and Spree™ Strollers because the hinges on the strollers' canopy pose a fingertip amputation and laceration hazard to the child when a parent is opening or closing the canopy.
The CPSC's announcement noted that Graco has already received seven reports of children placing their fingers in the stroller’s canopy hinge mechanism while the canopy was being opened or closed, resulting in five fingertip amputations and two fingertip lacerations.
Manufactured in China, the strollers were sold at retailers nationwide from October 2004 and December 2009.
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled strollers and contact Graco to receive a free protective cover repair kit.
Click here to read the CPSC's full announcement.
Late last year, McNeil Consumer Healthcare announced a recall of all Tylenol Arthritis Pain Caplet 100 count bottles, with the red EZ-open cap. The recall was prompted by consumer reports of an unusual moldy, musty, or mildew-like odor that was associated with nausea, stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. The odor was traced to minute amounts of a chemical called 2,4,6-tribromoanisole (TBA), which can result from the breakdown of a chemical used to treat wooden pallets.
This past month, the recall was expanded to additional over-the-counter products, including Children’s Motrin and Tylenol, Benadryl, extra and regular strength Tylenol, Tylenol Arthritis, Rolaids, Simple Sleep caplets, and St. Joseph’s Aspirin.
McNeil has set up a website to provide further information to consumers about the recall.
On January 15, 2010, the FDA issued a "warning letter" to McNeil concerning violations discovered during an inspection of its pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Puerto Rico.
Based on the complaints made to McNeil concerning the odors and the company's follow up measures, the FDA letter also harshly criticized the company's investigation into the root cause of the odor and subsequent responses. Read the full "warning" letter here.
For parents who want to know whether their children's toys, clothing, furniture and gear are safe, Parent's Magazine offers an online recall finder, which allows parents to search for product recalls by product name, brand or model number; category (e.g., car seats; cribs, beds & furniture); and by timeframe (e.g., last six months). There's also links to recent recalls (example: the Timberland children's boot recall: the logo stamped onto the boots' insoles contains excessive levels of lead).
The recall summaries provide helpful information about each recall: date, category, company/brand, the danger, description of the scope of the recall, where the product was sold, what to do, and where to obtain further information.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced that multiple firms are recalling millions of units of Window coverings, including Roman shades and roll-up blinds. These window coverings present a serious risk of strangulation to young children. The CPSC said it had received reports of five deaths and 16 near strangulations in Roman shades since 2006 and three deaths in roll-up blinds since 2001.
Strangulations in Roman shades occur when a child places his or her neck between the exposed inner cord and the fabric on the back side of the blind or when a child pulls the cord out and wraps it around his/her neck. Strangulations in roll-up blinds occur when the lifting loop slides off the side of the blind and a child’s neck becomes entangled on the free-standing loop or if a child places his or her neck between the lifting loop and the roll-up blind material.
The recalled Roman shades and roll up blinds were sold by a variety of manufacturers and retailers, including major discount department stores, home improvement stores and window covering manufacturers and retailers. Remedies vary among firms from repair kits to refunds.
Click here to read the complete CPSC press release.
Harry and David, the Oregon-based purveyor of food and fruit gifts, recently announced that it is voluntarily recalling raw, shelled hazelnut kernels sold in their store in Medford, Oregon, due to concerns of potential Salmonella contamination. The hazelnuts were supplied by Evonuk Oregon Hazelnuts.
The company's release noted that salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.
The snow is falling, the holidays are upon us, and winter recreation activities are plentiful. People will be driving over the Cascade passes to visit family and/or spend time in the snow. The anticipation of getting up to the mountain while navigating winter roadways can be a recipe for a disaster or a serious motor vehicle accident. Here are a few tips on keeping yourself and others safe when traveling in winter weather conditions.