J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg.  2004 Dec;30(6):551-553.

Displacement of a lower third molar into the lateral pharyngeal space

• Choi YS
• Jee YJ
• Song HC

Abstract

The displacement of an entire tooth into the adjacent anatomical area is an uncommon complication of a tooth extraction. We encountered a 23-year-old woman who had previously undergone surgery under local anesthesia to remove the lower third molar about 12 weeks prior and the upper third molar was extracted 2 days prior to visiting this hospital. Upon admission, she complained of a swallowing discomfort and a mouth opening limitation. Panoramic radiograph and a CT scan revealed a displacement of the entire tooth into the lateral pharyngeal space. The tooth was retrieved via the transoral approach under general anesthesia. The removed tooth had an indentation formed by a dental bur. Therefore, it was concluded that the tooth displaced into the lateral pharyngeal space was the lower third molar. This report describes an unusual case of a third molar that was displaced into the lateral pharyngeal space with a review of the relevant literature.

Keyword

Third molar; Displacement; Lateral pharyngeal space

MeSH Terms

Anesthesia, General
Anesthesia, Local
Deglutition
Female
Humans
Molar, Third*
Mouth
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Tooth
Tooth Extraction
Young Adult