Wisdom tooth removal is a notorious procedure that causes pain and swelling. Some people see it as a rite of passage, but is it really necessary to remove these teeth?
The Mayo Clinic explains that for most people wisdom tooth removal will help avoid problems in the future. However, it is not always mandatory.
No removal required
You will not need to have your wisdom teeth removed if they are healthy, positioned correctly and fully grown in. They are like any other tooth in that as long as you can keep them clean, and they do not bother you, they can stay in your mouth.
A doctor who rushes to say you will have to have them removed may not be thinking of your best interests. You should always ask why the removal is necessary. You can specifically talk about the three points to see which one concerns the doctor.
Potential problems
If your wisdom teeth do not come in completely, they can allow for bacteria infections and lead to pain and suffering. If they fail to come in all the way, you usually will need to have them cut out.
Sometimes, your mouth is too small and the wisdom teeth lead to crowding. This can cause movement of your other teeth, impacting your bite and leading to pain. This is another case where removal is a good idea.
Finally, if they only partially come through the gums, they are more susceptible to decay because you cannot clean them properly. This will introduce infections and can be painful.
You should expect a full x-ray and examination before a doctor decides to remove your wisdom teeth. Remember that it is not always necessary, so ask why the doctor is making the recommendation.
Erb’s palsy is a serious condition that affects one or both of your baby’s arms and shoulders. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons explains that this birth injury while occurring in only about 0.02% of US births, happens when your baby’s neck becomes stretched during a difficult delivery.
Specific risk factors include the following:
- Breech presentation
- Large baby
- Prolonged labor
- Use of forceps or other delivery aids
Brachial plexus
Erb’s palsy, named for the doctor who first described it, is one type of brachial plexus palsy. The brachial plexus is the network of nerves in and around your baby’s neck that allows him or her to move and feel his or her shoulders, arms, hands and fingers. The word “palsy” is a medical term meaning weakness. Thus, Erb’s palsy causes weakness in your baby’s brachial plexus network that can hinder his or her ability to move or even feel his or her arms.
Erb’s palsy symptoms
In rare cases, Erb’s palsy can cause complete paralysis of one or both of your baby’s arms. More likely, however, it will affect only one arm. He or she may be able to feel and move his or her fingers, but will not be able to feel or move his or her shoulder. In other words, your baby will be unable to use the affected arm when reaching upward for an object. Rather, the affected arm will appear rotated in toward the body, and the fingers may remain in a curled position.
Physical therapy
The good news is that most Erb’s palsy babies respond well to a course of daily physical therapy exercises. This means that, in all likelihood, your child will eventually recover both sensation and movement in his or her affected arm.
Motorcycles often have more risk of danger than almost any other type of motor vehicle, which motorcyclists have a strong awareness of. Of course, you can take steps to mitigate some of the dangers you potentially face, such as wearing protective gear.
Helmets serve as the most important protective gear you could own, as well as one of the tools that can spare your life in the event of a crash. But how exactly do they work?
The purpose of the interior and exterior
The National Library of Medicine discusses ways that helmets protect your skull from potential injury. Helmets sit on and around the skull in a way that they essentially act as a secondary skull, which the force of a crash must break before reaching your actual skull.
Inside a helmet, padding provides ample cushion and protection against bouncing, keeping your head firmly in place even after taking a hit. The outer, hard layer acts in the same way the skull does, providing an encasing to protect the more vulnerable contents within.
The importance of fit
Of course, this means the fit is of crucial importance when it comes to helmet safety. If your helmet is too loose, it will not sit on your head properly in the event of a crash, which can result in your actual skull taking some damage when it should not have.
If it is too tight, it can feel uncomfortable, which may discourage riders from wearing it. It can also create a choking sensation and can impede your flow of oxygen if it tightens or gets tangled in a crash. Thus, only a helmet of the right fit can provide maximum safety benefits.
Life in California has many perks, and one of them is the favorable weather that makes it easy for residents to move about on foot. Yet, pedestrian deaths are rising across California and the nation, and the growing popularity of sport utility vehicles is contributing to the uptick.
According to J.D. Power, SUVs are typically taller and heavier than typical sedans. They also have higher leading edges. This enhances risks for those traveling on foot because it means the brunt of the force of the SUV strikes them higher up on their bodies than a traditional car would.
SUV popularity
As of 2009, SUVs only accounted for about a fifth of all vehicles out on U.S. roads. By the summer of 2020, SUV sales accounted for 70% of all new cars sold across the nation. As SUV sales increased, the number of pedestrian fatalities increased alongside them.
SUV-on-pedestrian crash statistics
Over the past 10 years, the number of pedestrians dying in crashes increased steadily year after year, rising a total of 53% within that span. Nowadays, car-on-pedestrian wrecks cause more than a fifth of all U.S. traffic deaths, and the majority of those involve SUVs. Research also shows that, when SUVs hit pedestrians when traveling at above 19 mph, those pedestrians are much more likely to suffer a serious injury than they would be if struck by a standard passenger car moving at the same speed. When SUVs move at 40 mph and hit pedestrians, 100% of those hit die.
Some automakers who fabricate SUVs are making moves to change their body styles to make them less of a threat to pedestrians. However, these modifications have yet to have a positive impact on pedestrian death rates.
After an automobile accident, victims must inventory their injuries. Even minor accidents may cause whiplash, and accident victims must know how the injury looks.
Mayo Clinic explains how medical professionals diagnose whiplash. Personal injury victims must understand the extent of their harm to seek proper compensation.
Physical examination
Doctors move a patient’s arms, neck and head during a physical examination for whiplash. The exam tests range of motion, movements that cause pain or discomfort, and tenderness in the upper body. Initial exams also test the patient’s strength, reflexes and ability to feel sensation in their arms.
Imaging tests
While imaging tests cannot diagnose whiplash, they can help doctors rule out other injuries. Computerized tomography scans create cross-sectional visuals of bone to pinpoint damage. X-rays uncover neck arthritis, dislocation and fractures. Magnetic resonance imaging tests build 3D images of the body using magnetic fields and radio waves. MRIs can uncover spinal cord, ligament and disk damage.
Questions
Medical care professionals ask about experienced symptoms to diagnose whiplash. They may ask patients to rate their pain and list accompanying symptoms. Car accident victims should share whether they use other treatments or take medication for their symptoms. Dietary supplements and herbal medicines count as medication.
It makes sense for patients to note how the car accident happened and share the account with their doctor. The more details physicians have, the more accurate a diagnosis they provide.
Car accidents cause various injuries victims may not realize. With a medical professional’s help, they get the insight they need to build a case and seek compensation.
Prescription errors occur all the time despite various measures to prevent them. Some actions during the process from prescribing to the medication ending up in your hand can lead to mistakes.
An error could mean you end up with the wrong medication or wrong instructions for taking the right medication. In any case, a mistake could have serious health consequences. The Pharmaceutical Journal explains prescription errors are preventable, so understanding what causes them can help to negate them.
Wrong directions or dosage
Whether your doctor prescribes the wrong dose or something gets messed up at the pharmacy, getting the incorrect directions or dosage of a medication can cause harm. If you take too much medication, it could lead to an overdose. Too little could mean you do not get the benefits of the medication. Not having the right instructions may only cause slight discomfort. For example, if you should take a medication with food to avoid stomach upset, but those instructions are not given to you, then you may end up with an upset stomach.
Medication interactions
If you do not tell your doctor about other medications you are taking or your doctor fails to realize you are taking other medications, it could lead to an interaction that causes trouble. Some medication interactions are mild but they can be severe in some cases.
Allergic reactions
Sometimes, allergic reactions are unpreventable because you have not had the reaction before, but if you know of allergies to medications, it is essential to alert your doctor and pharmacy. Letting both places know should help to prevent issues with one of them missing the allergy. If not caught, you could suffer a reaction with minor to severe symptoms.
Prescription errors can happen to anyone. Staying alert and aware of your medication details can help you to stop medical professionals from making such mistakes.
Wrongful death occurs when one person causes the death of another person through negligent actions. If you lose a close relative, you may be able to file such a claim in court.
However, FindLaw explains that you will need to ensure your case meets the general guidelines to prove wrongful death occurred. Keep in mind, you do not have to prove your case beyond a reasonable doubt. The standard for this type of case, which is a civil matter, only requires a preponderance of the evidence. Meaning you simply need to show the person had a liability in the case.
Personal representative
There should be a personal representative for the estate of the deceased person. The representative is someone who handles the affairs of the person and the estate. He or she acts on behalf of the person who died.
A death
In a wrongful death case, the person must be dead. If he or she is simply injured, then the case cannot move forward. You would need to file a personal injury lawsuit.
Monetary loss
You must be able to show the death of the person caused the family to have some monetary loss. For example, if a father died, it would be simple to show the loss of his income had an impact on the family.
Negligence
Perhaps the key point to show in your case is the other person was negligent in some way. The negligence must have been the thing to lead to the death. You can also show an intent to cause harm, which led to the fatality.
You will want to review your case prior to filing with the court to avoid a waste of time and money. All elements should be present.
Recent years saw improvements in the numbers of deaths and injuries on U.S. and California roads. A variety of measures such as safety programs and campaigns and enhanced vehicle design led to a downward trend in accidents over the past decade.
Since 2020, though, traffic statistics show a return to more dangerous roads.
Traffic deaths increased in 2020
The clearest sign of perilous roads comes from an 8% increase in traffic deaths from 2019 to 2020. The Los Angeles Times reports that an estimated 42,000 people died on U.S. roads last year. This happened even as drivers logged 13% fewer miles than the year before.
Some observers blamed the increase in deaths on fewer drivers on the roads leading to more speeding violations. In 2020, California authorities issued double the normal number of citations for drivers going over 100 mph. Ironically, traffic congestion, which forces drivers to lower speeds, saved lives. This recent information may push traffic safety officials to focus on road safety at the expense of designing roads for faster speeds.
Traffic legislation measures also increased
Lawmakers in several states initiated legislation to address road safety, hoping to cut down on road deaths and injuries. One bill introduced in California aimed to allow local jurisdictions to have more control over speed limits. Traffic surveyors could take into account such factors as work zones and the presence of schools.
Other efforts in California look to improve enforcement of traffic violations, particularly speeding. This could lead to a reversal of the state’s ban on automated speed enforcement, at least in some localities. Provisions of legislation could include capping fees at $125, allowing a sliding scale for low-income drivers and making citations a civil offense.
You may consider yourself a safe driver, but you never know when another driver may hit you. No matter if you suffer major or minor damage, would you know how to react after a car accident?
AARP offers steps to take after motor vehicle accidents. Refresh your memory or learn the proper procedure for responding to a collision.
Check for damage
Immediately after the accident, check everyone for injuries, calling an ambulance for anyone who needs it. For minor accidents, move the vehicles to the side of the road out of traffic, and turn your hazard lights on. A major accident may make it difficult to move your car, so do not worry about it.
Call the police
A police report may prove essential if you have a personal injury case and for your insurance claim. Call them to the scene of the accident. Besides getting a copy of the report, note the officer’s badge number, name and contact information.
Gather details
While waiting for the police, get the names, contact information, driver’s license numbers and insurance information of everyone involved in the accident, even passengers. Snap pictures of all vehicle and property damage, note the weather at the time of the accident and take images of nearby street signs and names. Ask witnesses for their statements, and record details about all the cars involved in the collision, such as the make and model.
Say nothing
Aside from checking others for injury, say nothing at the scene of the accident. You do not want to admit fault or say something that may harm your insurance claim or injury case.
You must know what actions to take and which to reconsider immediately after a car accident. Hopefully, you now feel better prepared to handle an unfortunate situation.
Dentists across the U.S. perform at least 15 million root canals on damaged teeth each year, according to the American Association of Endodontists. A dentist’s error, however, may result in an infection. It may also take months or years to discover that a dentist’s negligence caused an injury.
As noted by Health.com, a tooth may become infected or diseased after a root canal if it did not fully heal after the procedure. Although some recovering patients may not experience immediate pain, an infected or damaged tooth may not have received a thorough enough treatment.
Dental negligence during a root canal procedure
Root canals remove decaying pulp located within layers of infected or damaged teeth. If a dentist fails to remove all the decaying material, a tooth may become diseased. An oral condition may develop and eventually spread to surrounding teeth, gums or cheeks.
Dentists owe a duty of care to their patients and must protect them from harm. As noted on the National Institutes of Health website, an unexpected puncture or failing to use a rubber dam could cause injuries. A rubber dam may prevent an anesthetized patient from swallowing or inhaling dental instruments.
Damage from delaying tooth restoration
Oral problems may develop if a dentist delays in providing a permanent restoration. Serious injury could result from a dentist failing to measure a patient’s teeth and then placing an ill-fitting crown. This may allow bacteria to survive and cause an infection.
Symptoms of an oral infection include pain, swelling and pressure. If symptoms continue after a root canal, a patient may require legal action for recovery. Damages may include expenses for medical treatment and corrective oral surgery. The court may also award compensation for the loss of wages and a patient’s pain and suffering.
