Dr. Teddy Altman’s toothache potentially foreshadowed a

larger heart issue in the Grey’s Anatomy season 19 finale.
Possible diagnoses for Teddy’s condition include endocarditis

and heart spasm, which are both cardio-related.
Dr. Winston Ndugu may save Teddy’s life in season 20, providing the character with a career-altering challenge.
In Grey’s Anatomy season 19’s finale, Chief of Surgery Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) collapses on the job, ending the season on a rather dramatic cliffhanger. With Teddy’s life hanging in the balance, most of the Grey’s Anatomy cast of characters, especially her husband Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd), are understandably frantic. However, the Teddy cliffhanger opens the door for one doctor to prove himself by saving Chief Altman’s life. In the Grey’s Anatomy season 19 ending, Teddy complains of a toothache throughout episode 20, “Happily Ever After?” However, Grey Sloan’s premier cardiothoracic surgeon is quick to brush off the pain.

Thinking it more of a nuisance than a symptom of something bigger and more life-threatening, Teddy goes about her day. At one point, Dr. Altman enlists Chief Resident Levi Schmitt (Jake Borelli) to take a peek inside her mouth. Of course, Schmitt isn’t a dentist — and neither doctor seems concerned about the link between dental pain and other issues. When Teddy collapses from an apparent cardiac event at the end of the episode, it’s not necessarily surprising to the season Grey’s Anatomy viewer. Even though Raver’s contract was renewed, Teddy’s ultimate Grey’s Anatomy season 20 fate remains unclear.

Teddy Altman’s Toothache Was A Sign Of Heart Issues
Between Arizona’s Grey’s Anatomy season 20 return and the touch-and-go states of several key patients, the latest season of Shonda Rhimes’ long-running medical drama is primed to deliver another thrilling installment. Of course, one of the burning questions the Grey’s Anatomy season 20 premiere must answer revolves around Chief Teddy Altman’s fate. Given Teddy’s end-of-season toothache and collapse, her symptoms align with two potential (and cardio-related) diagnoses: endocarditis, a heart sepsis that stems from dental infections, and heart spasm, which can present as jaw pain in women (via Mayo Clinic).

It remains to be seen how, exactly, Grey’s Anatomy will handle season 19’s Teddy cliffhanger. However, all signs point to her collapse being symptomatic of a much larger heart-related problem. Unlike most of the show’s other primary cast members, Teddy Altman has yet to be admitted as a patient at Grey Sloan for something as life-threatening as a chronic condition. While that kind of storyline is interesting in and of itself, the series would also benefit from the ironic twist of its leading cardiothoracic surgeon developing a heart problem that she herself couldn’t diagnose in advance.

Ellen Pompeo talking to another doctor as Meredith in her navy blue scrubs in Grey’s Anatomy
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Winston Can Prove Himself By Saving Teddy In Grey’s Anatomy Season 20
While Grey’s Anatomy has killed many main characters over its near-two-decade run, keeping Teddy Altman alive would provide Dr. Winston Ndugu (Anthony Hill) with the kind of high-stakes, career-altering surgery the character deserves. Before the up-and-coming cardiothoracic surgeon left for the Boston-based Catherine Fox Awards, Grey’s Anatomy’s Winston and Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary) all but ended their marriage. In the wake of Maggie’s departure from the hospital, Chief Altman appoints Winston to be Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Grey Sloan, giving the award-nominated surgeon something to look forward to upon his return.

Most of the issues in Maggie and Winston’s relationship stemmed from the clashing of their personal and professional lives. While Maggie is a cardio prodigy, Dr. Ndugu is skilled in his own right. Even so, Winston felt like he was living in Maggie’s shadow — and feared she saw him that way too. While Winston and Maggie ultimately end their relationship amicably, Winston’s appointment to Head of Cardio is a much-needed confidence boost. That said, it seems only fitting that Winston will return from Boston in the Grey’s Anatomy season 20 premiere and prove himself by saving Teddy’s life.

Grey’s Anatomy season 20 premieres on March 14, 2024.