Oral Surgery 101: What You Need to Know?

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Tooth loss, impacted teeth, excruciating tooth pain, jaw pain, and swelling are potentially serious dental problems that, if left untreated, can cause severe complications. After an assessment, a dentist near you may recommend oral surgery to address the problem and prevent any further damage to the jaw, teeth, and gums.

What is Oral Surgery?

Yes, the term oral surgery may be terrifying, but it is not as complicated as it seems. Oral surgery refers to any procedure that is performed in and around your mouth and jaw to treat diseases and injuries.

Most of the oral surgery procedures are performed by an oral or maxillofacial surgeon as they are trained to perform them. The dentists receive extra training after undergraduate dental education.

Who is a Candidate for Oral Surgeries?

Oral surgery is only done when necessary. The dentist in 78748 may recommend surgical procedures if you have missing teeth, impacted teeth, jaw problems like TMJ, sleep apnea, and dental infections.

What Procedures Are Done?

Oral surgery in South Austin includes several procedures like:

  • Wisdom teeth extraction 

The wisdom teeth often get impacted underneath the gums because they come out after the jaw has attained maturity.

Impacted teeth cause pain, swelling, weakens the teeth and can damage the jaw. The dentist may perform a surgical teeth removal to get rid of the entrapped teeth. The procedure involves cutting the gums to access the teeth. Sometimes the teeth are cut into small pieces for easy removal.

  • Dental implants 

Teeth implants are one of the restorative dental procedures that can replace missing teeth. These metal posts are surgically placed on the jaw to support the artificial teeth. You, however, need sufficient bone for our dentist in South Austin to fix the implants.

The implant procedure is not a one-visit form of treatment as it requires several months for it to be completed. The dentist will begin the process with an examination to check if you have sufficient bone density. If not, he may first perform a bone graft to stimulate new bone growth.

Next, he will fix the implant on the jaw by opening the gums and drilling them in. During the gum healing process, the bone and the implant will fuse to create strong support. The final steps involve fixing the abutment (connects the implant and the crown) and the dental crown.

  • Treatments for Sleep Apnea

Some people experience sleep apnea that not only causes loud snoring but also causes the oxygen to decrease to dangerous levels when sleeping. In most cases, the dentist will use non-surgical treatments to manage sleep apnea.

However, if these strategies fail, oral surgery may be done to alter the structures of the jaw. Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty surgery is the most commonly done procedure and it involves removing the extra tissue in the throat to open the upper airways.

Other procedures that may be done include jaw repositioning, tissue shrinkage, nerve stimulation, or tracheostomy (a procedure done to create a new air passageway).

  • Reconstruction surgery 

When you are in a traumatic accident, you may break your jaw, facial bones and knock your teeth. The dentist can perform a facial reconstructive to restore the function of the jaw and face. Different surgeries may be done depending on the extent of the injuries involved.

  • Treatment of infections

Your teeth and gums can get infected due to a bacterial infection. Several treatments may be done to address the issues such as root canal and tooth extraction. A root canal is done to remove the infected pulp and stop the spread of the infection. However, if the teeth are severely damaged, the dentist may opt for tooth extraction.

What Can You Expect After the Oral Surgery?

Tooth pain, soreness, discomfort, and swelling may occur after the oral surgery. These problems may clear after a while, but the dentist will prescribe dental medication to reduce pain and prevent infection.

During the healing period, it is important to rest and avoid strenuous activities. Try home remedies like ice therapy to reduce swelling and eating soft foods.

Schedule an Appointment 

Visit Peak Dental in South Austin for more information about oral surgery and what you can expect.

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