Where your smile is our care
Oral Surgery
Why get oral surgery?
While the removal of wisdom teeth is the most well-known type of oral surgery, there are many reasons why oral surgery may be required, including:
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Repairing or treating serious conditions affecting a patient's teeth, palate, lips, jaw or face
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Alleviating problems due to obstructed sleep apnea, infections or facial pain
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Repairing maxillofacial region damage caused by a serious accident or injury
Tooth Extraction
After the application of anesthesia, special tools are inserted between the tooth and the gum surrounding the tooth. The tooth is moved back and forth within its socket (the bone that encases the tooth's root) until it separates from the ligament that holds the tooth in place. Sometimes a tooth is cut into small pieces (sectioned) before it is removed.
Impacted Tooth Extraction
The method for removing an impacted tooth will depend on how many roots it has and its location under your gum. Patient sedation is often used in addition to the application of anesthesia to the impacted area.
A gum tissue flap is created to access bone tissue, and a small opening is made in the bone that covers the impacted tooth. The impacted tooth is then cut into small pieces (sectioned) and removed through the opening. The gum tissue flap is then repositioned and sutured in place.
Wisdom Teeth Extraction
Third molars, also called wisdom teeth, are the last set of permanent teeth to erupt in a person's mouth and are the ones least needed. Wisdom teeth can endanger a patient's dental health when:
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They erupt through your gum, but your jaw is too small to hold them. As a result, they force other teeth out of alignment and can damage your bite.
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They do not erupt through your gum and are not in a normal position. As a result, they crowd the roots of other teeth, force them out of alignment, and can damage your bite.
When your jaw is too small to accommodate normal wisdom teeth, it is common for gum or jaw discomfort and swelling to occur. In addition, there is a greater risk of developing gum (periodontal) disease.
Surgery to remove wisdom teeth is typically the best course of action. If a wisdom tooth has fully erupted through the gum, standard tooth extraction is performed. If the tooth has not erupted through the gum, an impacted tooth extraction method is used.
