Charlie Sheen's wife Brooke Mueller, was rushed to the ICU of a Sherman Oaks, California hospital after an infection, apparently caused by her recent emergency oral surgery to remove an impacted wisdom tooth, started to spread. Mueller was admitted with a 105-degree fever. Her lawyer, Yale Galanter, told PEOPLE Magazine "Brooke is in the hospital ICU related to the surgery for her impacted wisdom tooth," adding "They are trying to get the infection and fever under control. The infection has spread."
Wisdom teeth extraction isn't a favorite procedure among dental patients. Chances are, you know someone that has had a "horrific" experience during and after their wisdom teeth surgery. Hearing about Brooks Mueller's complications after her oral surgery made me think about how this story will affect your decision to have your wisdom teeth removed. Are infections normal after wisdom teeth surgery? Not usually, in fact the most serious complication I have witnessed someone experience after wisdom teeth surgery is a complication known as a dry socket. That being said, the instructions your dentist gives you to follow before your oral surgery, after your oral surgery MUST be followed to a T, in order to avoid mild to serious complications during your recovery process. If you are concerned about your upcoming wisdom teeth surgery, please don't hesitate to discuss them with your dentist. Brooke Mueller's experience is rare, and considering the fact that exact details about her complication have been completely overshadowed by the gossip surrounding her turmoil with her husband Charlie Sheen, we may never know exactly why her infection spread.
If you have had your wisdom teeth removed, share your experience with my readers, by answering the question: Was Your Wisdom Teeth Removal No Big Deal or a Complete Nightmare?
I have not directly experienced issues with wisdom teeth as I do not have any, however, in helping those that have had their wisdom teeth removed I noticed:
-medium to significant swelling of the jaws
-soreness for a few days to a week and
-soft diet was absolutely required for a few days.
Finally, it was imperative that the dentis’s orders were followed to the letter and that the incision did not get food into it.
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Without any details regarding the Ms. Mueller’s case any comments are speculative. However, I think patient’s who have been advised that their wisdom teeth be removed should see her experience as a reason to have those teeth removed when advised. Ms. Mueller is older than when most patient’s are advised to have wisdom teeth removed. She may have required removal of her wisdom teeth because they became infected. Wisdom teeth commonly become infected. They often are difficult or impossible to keep clean. Also the surgery to remove wisdom teeth becomes more difficult the older a patient is. So my message is don’t let Ms. Mueller’s experience scare you from having your wisdom teeth removed, but take is as a warning to do it when advised by your dentist. Hopefully she will make a complete and prompt recovery.
Hope she’s recovered now. Dental infections, in this case post-surgical can be very serious. Especially in an immuno-compromised patient.