Disclosing a broken front tooth after a difficult intubation
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Mr. Tomasz Nowak is a 46-year-old man, 112 kg, who had a laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair under general anesthesia this morning. His preoperative airway exam was unremarkable and his teeth were documented as intact. After induction, the view of the larynx was unexpectedly poor; intubation succeeded on the third attempt with a video laryngoscope. At extubation, you found that half of the crown of his upper left front tooth had broken off. The fragment was recovered from his mouth and is in a specimen cup. He is now awake and comfortable in the recovery room and has not yet been told. He is expected to go home this afternoon.
Your task: evaluate Mr. Nowak and discuss what happened with him.