Near-fatal airway obstruction after routine implant placement

Abstract

Implants have gained tremendous popularity over the past two decades, and their placement in the interior edentulous mandible has become routine. A case of near-fatal airway obstruction secondary to sublingual bleeding and hematoma is presented. The complication, anatomy of the area, and previous literature are reviewed, as are precautions to implant placement and other surgical procedures near the floor of the mouth. Although placing dental implants is generally a benign procedure, practitioners must be prepared for potential complications and have a rehearsed plan of action for the treatment of emergent situations. The floor of the mouth contains branches of the submental and sublingual and mylohyoid arteries that may lead to life-threatening complications. This caution obviously extends to any dentoalveolar surgical procedures that concerns the floor of the mouth such as tori removal, extractions, and iatrogenic dental injuries.