8 of the weirdest dental emergencies ever

September 18, 2017

Article

Dental emergencies are never any fun - but sometimes, they are really, really bizarre.

Everyone here has their own dental-related horror stories that could give the Grim Reaper nightmares.

From the bizarre, to the unexpected, to the really, really gross, patients never cease to amaze with the unbelievable dental emergencies with which they present. But which emergencies are the strangest of all? Emergency Dental Repair has compiled a list of 8 of the weirdest dentist emergencies ever.

Continue to the next page to see the emergencies.

8: Garden in the mouth

Here’s one emergency that is weird enough to make it in the Guinness book of records. You’d think that a mouth is the absolute last place that a plant would sprout, but I’ve got a room full of dentists who would disagree. One patient rushes to the dentist’s complaining of a toothache and discomfort.

More unbelievable tales: The top 13 freakiest dental horror stories

The dentist’s orders for a root canal and starts the procedure immediately. However, no one was ready for what they found while cleaning the root and gums. Amongst the usual plaque and tartar, the dentists found some seeds lodged deep in the gums with what looked to be some tiny plants growing out of the cavity. Upon questioning the patient, turns out it was tomato seeds that were actually sprouting.

7: Got maggots?

This one’s for all the parents who neglect taking their kids to the dentist’s office early on. It all started when a small boy started rubbing his now-swelling mouth painfully. After his parents noticed, they enquired and realized that their son was having dental issues. Having never been to the dentist’s, the boy was actually excited about his very first trip to a real tooth fairy. Well, you wouldn’t believe what the good doctor found in there. Looking inside, the dentist found a whole bunch of maggots hiding inside the boy’s swollen gums. You can bet that both the parents and the boy got some essential dental hygiene tips that day.

More maggot nightmares: Loose crown plays host to an unexpected visitor

6: Hole in palate

More often than not, some of these dental emergencies don’t start off as emergencies in the first place. One dentist explained how a patient staggered into his office with one of the worst mouth infections on medical history. Turns out that the patient had tried a little DIY procedure that could only be described as idiotic.

When Mr. John Doe discovered a hole in his palate, he went ahead to stick wads of tissue up there as a makeshift prosthesis. Johnny boy here was so proud he even explained how he changed the tissue once a week. Well, it’s safe to say that the wet tissue and bacteria only worked to flare up a nasty infection.

5: Super glue gone crazy

Super glue definitely works magic for pretty much any and every surface on the planet. One person seems not to have read the instructions when they tried to superglue their crown back on. The patient ended up sticking the wrong teeth together and got superglue all over the roof of her mouth and throat.

More sticky disasters: Woman superglued her teeth in to avoid going to the dentist

4: Hanging by a thread

Most of the dental horror stories are usually as a result of neglect and literally not watching your mouth. Almost every dentist in the US has had to deal with dirty and far decayed teeth. However, there are some cases where the buildup of tartar and plaque was so serious that it creates a bridge in between the teeth and gums known as the calculus bridge.

One of the worst dental emergencies happened when a patient tried to remove the bridge with furious brushing. After a few minutes, almost all the teeth fell out because the calculus bridge was the only thing holding them in place.

In rare cases, some of the most bizarre dental emergencies are actually partially the dentist's fault. After all, dentists are human too, and they do make mistakes!

3: Jaw Breaker

I’m not talking about those big, sweet suckers that kids can’t get enough of. It’s precisely what it sounds like. During a routine tooth extraction, a dentist got too carried away and freakishly broke his patient’s jaw in half. Fortunately, the patient was heavily sedated to feel any pain. However, they still had to wire her jaw shut for two whole months.

2: Drilled too deep

Not too long ago, an elderly Swedish woman was badly injured when a dental drill came loose and took a dive in her mouth. The dental team immediately sat the woman up and tried to get her to cough up the drill bit. Unfortunately, the inch-long piece had already made its way down her throat and lodged in the right lung. This is one dental emergency that quickly turned into an ER crisis. Luckily, doctors were able to remove the piece after surgery.

More drill-bit emergencies: Man who aspirated dental drill bit loses $430K court case

1: Root canal to remember

You may have already seen the movie, but these events actually happened to one poor Brit known as William. William walked into the dentists for a routine root canal back in 2005 and came out unable to hold on to memories for more than 90 minutes.

More on William's plight: Man's (un)forgettable dental visit results in bizarre amnesia

From that day till today, he always wakes up every morning believing it’s the day of his 2005 dental appointment. While an entire legion of psychiatrists, neurologists, and other experts have studied his case, no one can figure out what happened. His family provides him with an updated list of facts every morning and an online diary to help Will maintain some sense of normalcy, but he’s often surprised at how things have developed over the decade. And even after more than 10 years, the last thing Will remembers is getting into the dentist’s chair and being pumped full of local anesthetic.

There you have it: Eight of the weirdest dental based emergencies you will ever come across. And with more and more issues cropping up, you can bet that it will get a whole lot weirder. But one thing’s for sure, most of the emergencies above could have been avoided by regular brushing of teeth and routine visits to the dentist’s office. As for the last few emergencies, let’s just say it helps when a dentist is also licensed, certified and qualified for the job.