An oral surgeon is often the go-to for many types of surgical procedures. They specialize in correcting dental issues stemming from the jaw after completing training and obtaining a license for more invasive procedures. Discover five of the most common procedures an oral surgeon performs.
Also known as orthognathic surgery, this procedure aims to address structural abnormalities in the jaw, affecting the overall function. There are three types of corrective jaw surgery: double jaw, mandibular osteotomy, and maxillary osteotomy.
Each type is designed to correct problems caused by misaligned jaws, such as overbites, underbites, crossbites, open bites, sleep apnea, breathing, and overall facial symmetry.
Gum disease or periodontitis occurs when the gums and supporting structures around the teeth become inflamed and infected, causing recession, bone loss, and tooth loss. The patient's general dentist will often try to get ahead of it by performing non-surgical procedures and providing an antibiotic mouthwash or prescription.
If a patient has advanced gum disease and non-surgical approaches such as scaling and root planing prove insufficient, they may introduce periodontal surgery. Periodontal surgery aims to remove diseased gum tissue, eliminate bacteria, and regenerate damaged gum and bone structures.
Wisdom teeth extractions are the most common oral surgery. Impacted teeth and wisdom teeth refer to different dental conditions, albeit wisdom is a common example of impacted teeth.
Wisdom teeth normally emerge when a patient is between 17 and 25 years old. When this happens, the wisdom teeth cause problems throughout the mouth, as there is insufficient space to host them. This often leads to impaction, teeth crowding, and infection. It is worth mentioning that any tooth can become impacted. Impaction refers to any tooth in the mouth that fails to fully emerge due to several factors, such as obstruction or crowding.
Once a patient's wisdom teeth emerge or their general dentist notices impaction, they will likely recommend them to an oral surgeon, as they have the appropriate skills, license, and training to perform this invasive procedure.
Dental implants are a popular and effective solution to replace missing teeth. Therefore, if a patient loses one or multiple teeth due to impaction, infection, decay, or trauma, they may qualify as a dental implant candidate. Dental implants are screw-like appliances placed inside the jawbone and have a restoration (crown, bridge, or denture) affixed to it.
Oral surgeons play a crucial role in the nine-month-long dental implant process. Not only will they perform both surgical procedures involved, but if the patient is denied candidacy due to insufficient amounts of bone, the oral surgeon can perform a bone graft or a sinus floor lift to increase approval odds.
Often noticed at birth, a cleft lip refers to a gap or split in the upper lip, while the cleft palate refers to a split or gap in the roof of the mouth. These defects will not subside independently, only becoming more pronounced as a patient ages.
During the surgery, the oral surgeon carefully brings the divided tissues together, closing the gap in the lip or palate. They will use specialized techniques to completely reconstruct the area to improve the patient's look, function, and speech.
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An oral surgeon can provide surgical approaches to correct the most complex dental cases. Whether one has experienced trauma, disease, a congenital disability, or severe malocclusions, we can help. Schedule an evaluation with our team to discover your options.
Request an appointment or call Morris Oral Surgery & Implant Center at 973-400-5254 for an appointment in our Morris Plains office.
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