[Wide-spread subcutaneous emphysema after third molar extraction. Case report].

Two days after wisdom teeth removal an eighteen-year-old man complained of a painful subcutaneous neck emphysema. CT scans showed that the air collections were expanding close to the mediastinum. A conservative intravenous medication with broadspectrum antibiotics was administered and within three days the symptoms resolved completely without any surgical intervention. Subcutaneous emphysema after dental treatment can develop into infectious, potentially lethal fasciitis and mediastinitis. Therefore it must be thoroughly examined and immediately operated on, if suspicious of an infection.