What Are Common Oral Surgery Procedures?

There are many reasons why someone might need oral surgery. If a dentist or oral surgeon recommends that their patient undergo oral surgery, it is because this surgery will be the best option for treating the patient’s pain, infection, or other oral health issues. If left untreated, these issues can become severe and cause the patient to experience worse problems.

Conditions that require oral surgery

Whether a patient needs to have their teeth replaced, removed or repaired, oral surgery can be extremely beneficial when treating certain conditions. While oral surgery might seem daunting, there are many common procedures that oral surgeons conduct every day.

Tooth extraction

Sometimes a tooth can become damaged past the point of saving. If a tooth is rotting, infected, or impacted, oral surgery might be the only option to protect a patient’s oral health. If the tooth is not removed, it could lead to gum infections or diseases, additional tooth damage, and severe pain. With tooth extraction, an oral surgeon will remove the affected tooth from the mouth because it is no longer able to be fixed.

Dental implants

Many people who have lost several of their permanent teeth opt for dental implants. These tools are implanted into a patient’s jawbone in order to support artificial teeth. Because dental implants require a dentist or oral surgeon to cut into a patient’s gums, this procedure requires oral surgery. After this surgery, these artificial teeth will be almost indistinguishable from normal teeth, allowing patients with dental implants to replace missing teeth with ease.

Wisdom tooth removal

Wisdom teeth grow in the back of the mouth, and they often are the last teeth to appear. Sometimes, these teeth grow in sideways or are otherwise misaligned, causing them to push against other teeth or harm a person’s gums. In order to prevent health issues, infection, or further misalignment, dentists will often recommend oral surgery to remove impacted wisdom teeth, especially when these teeth start to cause pain. When the impacted wisdom teeth are removed, there is more space in the mouth and less risk of oral health problems.

Bone repair

If a patient has a fractured or broken jaw, a doctor will recommend oral surgery in order to repair the broken bone. “Healthline” reports that severe jaw injuries increase the risk of breathing and eating difficulties, so they need to be addressed right away. Oral surgeons are specialists that can help determine the extent of such injuries and fix them during oral surgery.

Biopsy

If a dentist notices any sort of abnormal or problematic tissue in a patient’s mouth, he or she might want to conduct a biopsy. A biopsy requires cutting a piece of potentially dangerous tissue from the mouth in order to test it for cancer or other serious health issues. Because this procedure requires removing tissue from the mouth, it requires oral surgery.

Treating oral health conditions with oral surgery

Oral surgery is the best way to take care of a wide range of oral health conditions. Whether the problem is moderate or severe, oral surgeons can help prevent further issues and damage with oral surgery.

Request an appointment here: https://thelaureldentist.com or call Montpelier Family Dentistry at (301) 605-1132 for an appointment in our Laurel office.