Oral Surgery Procedures
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery involves different procedures such as extractions, implants and orthognathic surgery. Often, procedures help remove infection from your oral cavity or correct different aspects of your bite, known as occlusion.
Extractions
Extractions of teeth are done for various reasons including deep decay, fractures, absess formation or for orthodontic reasons. Some extractions involve wisdom teeth, also known at your Third Molars, which are the last teeth to erupt in the mouth. When they emerge properly with the rest of your teeth, and the surrounding gum tissue is healthy, wisdom teeth do not necessarily need to be removed. However, often times wisdom teeth are misaligned and create situations where cleaning of those teeth become difficult, sometimes causing pain.
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The simple surgical removal of the wisdom teeth resolves most of these problems. Preventative removal is encouraged to avoid painful situations, and to minimize the surgical risk of removing these teeth when the procedure is actually preformed. Most doctors suggest screening for wisdom teeth in the mid-teenage years. This early detection of future problems coupled with the treatment of wisdom teeth through surgical removal, leads to a patients best results.
Dental Implants
Dental Implants are designed for the person who has one or more missing teeth and want a replacement that will look, feel and function like their own natural teeth. Implants regain the patient's ability to function as they did before: eating their choice of foods, speaking and laughing with people, having a pleasing smile, as well as maintaining facial contouring and structure that may have deteriorated with time due to missing teeth. Dental Implants have virtually given back to many patients the simple joys of life and the personal confidence that they are searching for.
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Implants are small titanium steel posts which are surgically placed into the jawbone where teeth are missing. They act as “root substitutes” for the future placement of artificial teeth. These titanium fixtures can support crown, bridges, or dentures and can be used to replace single or multiple teeth. Bone surrounding the implants integrates with the posts, becoming a solid foundation for the replacement teeth.
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The placement of Dental Implants is a gentle, non-traumatic surgical procedure carried out in two phases. Your Oral Surgeon works closely with your restorative dentist who custom makes and fits your new teeth.
Orthognathic Surgery
Orthognathic surgery is the surgical correction of skeletal deformities of the oral and maxillofacial region and is necessary for patients with an improper bite or whose jaws are positioned incorrectly. Since jaw growth is a gradual process, sometimes the upper and lower jaws may grow at different rates, leading to problems that can affect speech, appearance, chewing, and long-term oral health. A birth defect, an injury, and environmental influences or heredity can also affect jaw alignment. Signs of possibly being a candidate for orthognathic surgery, that should be discussed with your doctor include: protruding jaw, speech problems, an open bite, chronic jaw pain, and difficulty in chewing or biting.
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Making a decision to proceed with treatment will also involve the participation of an orthodontist, who will work closely with your doctor during your treatment. By re-positioning the jaws in coordination with orthodontic alignment of the teeth, the facial appearance can be enhanced or improved. The result of having this corrective jaw surgery is not only enhanced facial appearance and functioning, but it also ensures the teeth meet correctly and function properly, leading to a new healthy dental-facial relationship.
