A case of a fractured carbide bur fragment straying into the extraction socket during surgical extraction of a horizontally impacted mandibular wisdom tooth

Abstract

We report a case in which a fractured surgical carbide bur fragment strayed into the extraction socket during surgical extraction of a wisdom tooth. A 22-year-old woman visited a dentist for surgical extraction of a horizontally impacted left mandibular wisdom tooth. During the crown division procedure, the carbide bur broke, thus panoramic X-ray imaging was performed, which revealed a single opaque object in the extraction socket, thought to be a piece of the broken bur. It was difficult to perform removal of the bur piece at the dental clinic, and thus the patient was referred to our department on the same day. Bleeding from the extraction socket was noted at the initial examination and hemostasis was performed, then an antibacterial drug was prescribed for inflammation. Two months later, the carbide bur fragment that had strayed into the impacted wisdom tooth socket was removed under general anesthesia.