What is Oral Surgery?

Certain dental conditions may be outside the daily practice of the average dentist. For this reason, they may refer you to an oral surgeon. Oral surgeons have spent an additional four to six years in training after they became a dentist to be able to earn the title of Oral Surgeon. The training was in a hospital situation where surgeries were regularly taking place. Some of them may even choose to get a medical degree beyond this training.

Every day, an oral surgeon performs tasks that the average dentist only performs every now and then. This makes the oral surgeon the expert and better experienced to handle certain types of dental surgeries, such as wisdom tooth extraction. Because of their gained expertise, they also can be expected to better handle any problems or emergencies that may arise.

You can also expect to get better results from a surgery conducted by an oral surgeon. Their experience is far more extensive than what an ordinary dentist would have. Although a general dentist could perform many of the treatments that an oral surgeon does, they certainly do not conduct them nearly as often.

Sometimes a dentist may refer you to an oral surgeon. When this happens, there is no particular reason to be alarmed; it is often just because the dentist may be more comfortable turning the task over to someone who has more specialized experience.

An oral surgeon regularly performs many tasks. They may include:

• Tooth extractions
• Impacted tooth extractions
• Placing dental implants
• Repairing damage from periodontal disease
• Conducting soft tissue biopsies
• Repairing broken bones in the face and jaw
• Removing tumors and cysts in the jaws
• Performs surgery for jaw realignment
• Cosmetic surgery
• TMJ surgery

In preparation for a dental implant, it is sometimes necessary to rebuild some of the jawbone and gums so that they can support the new artificial tooth. An oral surgeon will perform these types of surgeries as well, although some dentists will, too.

In addition to other treatments, an oral surgeon may also be the one to treat oral cancer. Although all dentists are trained to spot cancer and perform some types of biopsies, the oral surgeon may actually treat it. Oral cancers are serious and often will spread fast due to the many blood vessels in the head and neck. Treatment by an oral surgeon is often combined with radiation.

An oral surgeon is also able to provide various types of anesthesia when needed. In addition to twilight sedation (also called painless dentistry or sleep sedation), they can also provide intravenous (IV) sedation and general sedation.

Other surgeries that they can perform include reconstructive and cosmetic surgery. When damage to the face or jaw occurs, or when cancer or cyst has been removed and reconstruction is needed, an oral surgeon has the training and expertise to conduct the surgeries necessary for it. This includes providing the surgical treatment for a cleft lip or palate.

Treating sleep apnea is another specialty of an oral surgeon. When it is obstructive sleep apnea, the oral surgeon can provide the necessary surgery needed to correct it.

Emergency surgeries are also the task of an oral surgeon. People suffer from injuries to the face and mouth often, such as in a car wreck, a sports injury, or simply from getting punched in the mouth. A dental surgeon is ready to quickly treat people who suffer from this type of injury.

Wisdom teeth removal is a common surgery performed by this type of specialist dentist.

Wisdom teeth can be especially difficult due to the fact that the roots of them are often close to the nerve controlling sensation and movement of the tongue, chin, and jaw. These surgeries are sometimes made even more complicated by the fact that wisdom teeth can become completely encased in bone. Recovery may take about a week, but actually healing may take about two weeks.

Other types of surgery will have varying periods of time needed for recovery. Some new types of surgery, such as laser gum surgery and pinhole surgery greatly reduce the recovery time needed, often enabling patients to go back to work immediately, rather than a week or later. The number of treatments needed is also reduced by these new methods.

In some dental procedures, using an oral surgeon raises the possibility for more successful treatments. This can include:

• Successful dental implants
• Better appearance after cosmetic surgery
• Safe wisdom tooth removal
• Preparedness as an emergency oral surgeon
• Better results.

When you have a need for a specialist – an oral surgeon – it is time to see Kumar T. Vadivel, DDS, FDS RCS, MS. He is a Board-certified Periodontist who can perform many types of oral surgery, including dental implants and wisdom teeth extraction. In order to get a free consultation, just click the number on this screen, or you can book an appointment online.