There are several dental issues that cannot be managed or treated through conservative and other non-surgical approaches. Such problems may require extensive procedures like oral surgery.
Oral Surgery The Woodlands department consists of highly skilled surgeons who offer state-of-the-art surgical procedures to address several dental problems, thereby enhancing your quality of life.
What is oral surgery?
Oral surgery is a branch of dentistry that deals with the correction of a wide range of diseases, injuries, and defects in the teeth, gums, jaws, or surrounding oral and facial structures. It is a recognized international surgical specialty and it is one of the nine specialties of dentistry.
It provides quality care to enhance your oral form, function, and aesthetics.
When is oral surgery indicated?
You could need oral surgery for a number of reasons. Your dentist would recommend it if you have:
- Extensive tooth decay
- Severely broken or fractured teeth
- Gum disease
- Impacted teeth
- Wisdom teeth
- Missing teeth
- Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD)
- Bone loss in the jaw
- Sleep apnea
- Oral cancer
- Benign (noncancerous) oral pathology like lumps or bumps
What are the procedures under oral surgery?
There is a cascade of oral surgery procedures performed, which include:
Tooth extractions
- The most common and simple oral surgery that involves tooth removal.
- Extractions may be recommended due to severe tooth decay, periodontal disease, loose teeth, or dental trauma.
Dental bone graft
- Bone graft is indicated if you suffer bone loss in your jaw.
- A sufficient amount of bone is essential to support your teeth and keep them healthy and strong.
- Synthetic bone grafts are inserted which fuse with the remaining healthy bone.
Dental implants
- These are artificial prostheses made up of titanium alloys that are inserted into the jawbone surgically.
- The implant material fuses with the jawbone through osseointegration.
- These implants mimic tooth roots to provide anchorage to your dental crown, bridges, or dentures.
Periodontal surgery
- Periodontal surgeries involve plaque elimination subgingivally, pocket reduction, and gum grafts.
- These procedures help restore your gum and jawbone vitality.
Corrective jaw surgery
- These are orthognathic surgeries that address skeletal abnormalities of the jaw bones.
- It restores masticatory functions, corrects malalignment, and facial imbalance.
- Severe cases of sleep apnea may also require surgical intervention.
Cleft lip and palate repair
- Cleft lip and cleft palate are congenital abnormalities that occur when facial structures fail to fuse together.
- Oral surgery is recommended to improve eating function and speech.
Bottomline
Oral surgery is a specialized branch of dentistry dealing with surgical procedures to address dental, and facial problems. Your doctor will evaluate your individual condition to determine the type of surgical procedure required.
Recovery post any surgical procedure is different for each person. However, it is essential to follow your doctor’s instructions for quick healing and optimal results.
