WHAT IS ORAL SURGERY?

A simple layman’s definition of the word surgery is that it is a medical procedure or treatment in which a doctor cuts into tissue in someone’s body in order to repair or remove damaged or diseased parts. Oral surgery winston salem then is that process as related to the mouth and parts associated with your mouth. When you think of surgery it brings up images of a hospital, an operating room and even general anesthesia. Let’s take a look at different types of oral surgery that are common, everyday procedures and that will make it easier to understand the range of possibilities. They don’t have anything to do with hospitals and operating rooms either.

The oral surgery of tooth extraction

The most common type of oral surgery is that of extracting a tooth. The best example is that of the wisdom tooth. A third set of molars that usually grow in between the ages of 17 and 25 they are often removed because there is not enough room in the mouth and they crowd the other teeth. Over five million Americans a year have a wisdom tooth extracted and we each have four, so the actual number of teeth is higher. If the tooth has not erupted it is called impacted and it takes an oral surgery procedure to remove this tooth.

The oral surgery of placing a dental implant

A procedure that is growing in popularity in the last 25 years is that of having a dental implant. That figure has also surpassed five million Americans that have chosen this route of replacing a lost tooth. If you have lost a tooth due to an unfortunate event or if it was a calculated extraction the gap left by that tooth should be filled. For many years the only option was a dental bridge. Since the introduction of the implant in 1951 it has continued to be very viable option. The oral surgeon needs to go through the gum and drill a small hole in the jawbone. Into this hole goes a titanium post. Once grafted to the jawbone an extension, or abutment, is placed on the post and then a porcelain or ceramic crown is cemented on to the abutment. This prohibits the neighboring teeth from shifting into that gap and creating bite pattern issues.

The oral surgery of correcting the jaw

If you have problems with the jawbone joint, called TMJ, or temporomandibular joint pain, an oral surgeon can correct this problem with surgery. Other common issues are the clenching and grinding of your teeth, an incorrect bite, difficulty opening and closing your mouth and an incorrect jaw position which leads to an out of proportion facial appearance. This is a quick, high level view of jaw surgery. The can include the upper jaw, lower jaw and even the chin. Thousands of these surgeries are performed annually.

Take care of your mouth, your teeth, your smile

With the advancements with technology today in dentistry oral surgery is nothing to be concerned about. It’s about your health.

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