Brandon Jennings’ tooth injury will keep him through season opener by Dan Feldman

Ever since Brandon Jennings’ impacted wisdom tooth and fracture at the base of the tooth came to light, many have speculated the injury is related to The Game punching Jennings in the mouth.

So, I reached out to Benjamin Wedro, who pens the excellent DocTalk Blog.

Assuming the Pistons’ explanation of Jennings’ mouth issues is accurate, Wedro’s assessment is clear. Wedro (emphasis mine):

When a molar becomes impacted and inflamed, the underlying mandible bone (jawbone) is at risk for fracture when the tooth is extracted, especially if significant force is required to remove the tooth. It is one of the expected complications of a dental extraction. It is also a reason get an oral surgeon involved in difficult cases to minimize that risk. A punch would not cause an impacted wisdom tooth. A punch can fracture the jaw and it is common to see the fracture to extend into a tooth socket. That said, most mandible fracture come in pairs. It’s hard to break a circle in one place, so a mandible angle fracture usually is associated with a TM joint injury on the opposite sides.

The Game punching Jennings and causing an injury that keeps the point guard from games is a great story for Jennings’ detractors. Heck, I like Jennings, and I find that amusing.

Unfortunately, it’s not true.

The narrative says Jennings is immature and selfish, and he might be. But you’ll have to find better evidence than this.