Lingual displacement of an entire lower third molar. Report of a case with suggestions for prevention and management.

Perfect knowledge of regional anatomy is the main factor in the prevention of tooth displacement during lower third molar extraction. Some technical expedients should be used to avoid the occurrence of this accident and to manage it if it anyway happens. The patient was seen just 2 days after his left lower third molar was lingually displaced during surgical extraction. Two mucoperiosteal flaps were made under general anaesthesia, one on each side of the mandible, to obtain good exposure of the previous bone access and to retrieve the tooth. No further complications occurred. Lower third molar extraction becomes complicated if tooth displacement happens. Predisposing factors of this accident are analyzed and the rules to minimize the risk of its occurrence and to simplify the retrieval of the displaced tooth are discussed.