Oral Surgery

What is oral surgery?

Oral surgery is a broad term that refers to any surgical procedure done on your teeth, gums, jaw or surrounding oral and facial structures. It comprises corrective jaw surgery known as maxillofacial surgery, extractions, dental implants, dental bone grafts and periodontal grafts.

Why is oral surgery performed?

Oral surgery could be necessary for a number of reasons. Your dentist might advise it, if you have any of the following conditions;

  • Impacted teeth.
  • Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD).
  • Bone loss in your jaw.
  • Oral cancer.
  • Badly broken teeth.
  • Extensive tooth decay.
  • Missing teeth.
  • Gum disease.

What are the different types of oral surgery?

Tooth Extraction

Tooth extraction is the most common type of oral surgery. An extraction might be recommended if you have wisdom teeth complications, severe tooth decay or gum disease (periodontitis). Sometimes tooth extractions are performed in order to prepare you for dentures or other prosthetic devices. Although your dentist at Zoe Dental Centre prefers to save your natural teeth when possible, sometimes extractions are necessary to preserve your overall oral health. Additionally, your dentist may recommend a tooth extraction as a preventative measure to reduce your risk for cavities, bone loss or other oral problems.

Dental bone graft

A dental bone graft is necessary when bone loss has occurred in the jaw. There are a number of reasons why this many occur. When your natural teeth are present, the roots stimulate the nerves in your jaw when you chew, bite and talk. These movements signal your brain to send nutrients to your jaw, keeping it strong and healthy. If a tooth has been missing for some time, bone deterioration can occur in that area because there are no roots to stimulate the nerves.
A dental bone graft restoes volume and density in your jawbone so that dental implants can be placed later on.

Dental Implants

Dental implants are widely considered the most reliable, longest-lasting teeth replacement option available in dentistry today. Implants are made of medical-grade titanium or zirconia – which are fixed into your jaw to replace missing teeth roots. When the implants heal, dental crowns, dental bridges or dentures can be positioned on top to replace missing teeth.

Periodontal surgery

If you suffer from severe gum disease or periodontitis, your gum specialist may recommend a gum disease treatment. This procedure involves an incision made along your gum line to clean your teeth roots and flush away plaque and bacteria that have accumulated under your gums. Afterwards, the gum tissue is repositioned and sutured into place.
Sometimes, gum recession can occur as a result of periodontitis. In these instances, you may need a gum graft. During a gum graft procedure, your surgeon reinforces the area of tissue loss with donor tissue. This tissue may be taken from the roof.

Corrective jaw surgery

also known as orthognathic surgery- addresses skeletal abnormalities of your jaw bones. This procedure may be recommended to improve chewing function, correct misalignment or address facial imbalances. Corrective jaw surgery is also used to ease pain caused by TMJ dysfunction.

Who performs oral surgery?

Depending on the type of procedure being performed, it may be done by your general dentist in their office for instance, a tooth extraction, or by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. When it comes to procedures like removal of wisdom tooth or dental implants your oral and maxillofacial surgeon at Zoe Dental Centre has extra training and education to perform such extensive procedures. Oral surgery is delivered in our ultramodern oral & maxillofacial surgery unit.

What are the advantages of oral surgery?

The overarching goal of oral surgery is to address any issue that interferes with your health or quality of life.

A note from Zoe Dental Centre

At Zoe Dental Centre, we use modern surgical technologies that help your surgeon provide advanced care using less invasive methods. Oral surgery can restore the health of your teeth, gums and jaw joints, ease your pain and give you an improved quality of life.