Abstract
We report a case of migration of a broken carbide bur into the inferior border of the mandible during surgical extraction of a third molar.
The patient was a 36-year-old woman who was referred to our outpatient clinic for the removal of a broken piece of carbide bur at the inferior border of her mandible. Prior to this, she had been to a private clinic for the extraction of an impacted third molar, during which the carbide bur for dividing the tooth crown broke two times. The surgeon tried to remove the broken bur but could not do so completely, therefore the patient was referred to our department 6 days after the tooth extraction.
X-ray examination revealed a broken bur lodged at the inferior border of the patient’s mandible. Nevertheless, at her initial visit to our outpatient department, we found the presence of inflammation, so antibiotics were administered until the inflammation disappeared. 21 days after tooth extraction, we finally removed the piece of broken bur at the inferior border of the mandible under general anesthesia.
