Oral Surgery

Sometimes dental problems arise that require oral surgery to fix. General dentistry can provide many types of oral surgery , but sometimes it‚’s necessary to refer a patient to a special oral surgeon who handles more extensive procedures. Oral surgery is often at least partially covered by most dental insurance, since most procedures aren‚’t cosmetic or optional.


Reasons for Oral Surgery

When you have a cavity filled or a standard tooth extraction , those aren‚’t considered oral surgery procedures. The types of problems that are usually corrected by oral surgery include:

  • The removal of impacted teeth (or teeth that can‚’t break through the gum or come through only partially and are ‚”impacted‚” between the bone and the gum line). Very often, this is the removal of impacted wisdom teeth, but any tooth can become impacted and require surgery to remove
  • Missing teeth. These can be replaced with dental implants , which are anchored into the jawbone surgically. Each implant is put in place individually. Though this can be considered a cosmetic procedure, replacing lost teeth helps overall mouth health by keeping other teeth from drifting into the gap, as well as restoring the ability to chew and speak normally.
  • Denture fitting problems. Oral surgery can make dentures fit better by changing the shape of the bone, both for new denture wearers and long-term wearers.
  • Jaw problems that are too severe to be fixed with braces, and TMJ (tempromandibular joint) problems.
  • Facial injuries. Often, an oral surgeon repairs broken jawbones and facial bones.
  • Lesions and tumors. Oral surgeons can remove these and have them sent for biopsies.
  • Cleft palates and cleft lips. Cleft palates can require many oral surgeries over a course of years. With a cleft palate, the upper palate and the nasal cavity don‚’t join together as they should, leaving a split or gap in the lip or the roof of the mouth, causing everything from speech difficulties to eating problems.
  • Snoring and sleep apnea. Laser surgery is often used now to reshape the throat area to prevent both these problems. Sleep apnea in some cases can be life threatening, so this procedure is an important function of oral surgery.
  • Infection control. It might be necessary to operate to remove abscesses and teeth if infection becomes severe enough.
  • The removal of impacted teeth (or teeth that can‚’t break through the gum or come through only partially and are ‚”impacted‚” between the bone and the gum line). Very often, this is the removal of impacted wisdom teeth, but any tooth can become impacted and require surgery to remove
  • Missing teeth. These can be replaced with dental implants , which are anchored into the jawbone surgically. Each implant is put in place individually. Though this can be considered a cosmetic procedure, replacing lost teeth helps overall mouth health by keeping other teeth from drifting into the gap, as well as restoring the ability to chew and speak normally.
  • Denture fitting problems. Oral surgery can make dentures fit better by changing the shape of the bone, both for new denture wearers and long-term wearers.
  • Jaw problems that are too severe to be fixed with braces, and TMJ (tempromandibular joint) problems.
  • Facial injuries. Often, an oral surgeon repairs broken jawbones and facial bones.
  • Lesions and tumors. Oral surgeons can remove these and have them sent for biopsies.
  • Cleft palates and cleft lips. Cleft palates can require many oral surgeries over a course of years. With a cleft palate, the upper palate and the nasal cavity don‚’t join together as they should, leaving a split or gap in the lip or the roof of the mouth, causing everything from speech difficulties to eating problems.
  • Snoring and sleep apnea. Laser surgery is often used now to reshape the throat area to prevent both these problems. Sleep apnea in some cases can be life threatening, so this procedure is an important function of oral surgery.
  • Infection control. It might be necessary to operate to remove abscesses and teeth if infection becomes severe enough.

Infection control. It might be necessary to operate to remove abscesses and teeth if infection becomes severe enough.

Who Performs Oral Surgery

Who will perform a procedure depends on the procedure and your dentist. Your general dentist can do many procedures like the removal of an impacted tooth or the insertion of implants. Though some dentists do refer patients to a specialist for these, many regularly perform these things every day.

For jaw corrections , severe infection control, facial injuries, and the removal of many teeth at once, an oral surgeon typically performs the procedures. Often, oral surgeons can offer anesthetic that can help with the pain and help you relax you beyond those used in general dentistry. Going to a qualified oral surgeon can also make an oral surgery procedure take less time than it would in a general dentist‚’s office because they specialize in these procedures.