Oral and maxillofacial surgery addresses a wide variety of conditions that affect the head, neck, face, jaws, and other oral and maxillofacial tissues. It is recognized as one of nine dental specialties by the American Dental Association, making it a globally recognized surgical specialty.
Smiling Faces Change People’s Lives
After graduating from dentistry school, one must finish a four-year residency in an American Dentistry Association-accredited hospital-based training program to become an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. Their education is almost entirely focused on the hard and soft tissues of the face, mouth, and jaws, making them uniquely suited to diagnose and treat diseases affecting both function and aesthetics in this region of the body. They are also excellent surgeons.
Disorders and Their Treatment
Maxillofacial surgeons have considerable expertise in oral and maxillofacial surgery and can treat a wide range of conditions.
Orthognathic Surgery
Orthognathic (jaw) surgery may be used to realign the teeth and jaws of individuals suffering from a range of skeletal or dental disorders, including a misaligned bite. If you have difficulties swallowing or biting food, extensive tooth wear, a receding chin, a projecting jaw, or sleep apnea, jaw surgery may be indicated.
Wisdom Teeth Removal
Wisdom Teeth The wisdom teeth are the last set of teeth to emerge in the human body. If they erupt from the gum line, the jaw can accept them, but this is not always the case, and the teeth become impacted as a consequence. An impacted wisdom tooth may need to be extracted in certain situations. Wisdom teeth that have partially or totally erupted as a result of an impacted jaw are more susceptible to decay, recurring infections, and gum disease than those that have not. The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons strongly recommends that wisdom teeth be extracted while the patient is a young adult to minimize future problems and ensure optimum healing.
Cleft Lip
During fetal development, all or sections of the mouth and nasal canals may fail to fuse properly, resulting in cleft lip and/or cleft palate. When this occurs, the roof of the mouth cracks up, revealing a gap in the top lip. Unless surgically fixed, a cleft palate may cause problems with nutrition, speech, and hearing. Over the course of years of treatment and surgery, a multidisciplinary team of oral and maxillofacial surgeons addresses these difficulties.
Trauma to the Face
Any injury to the mouth, face, or jaw is referred to as maxillofacial injury or facial trauma. One of the most common types of major facial injuries is bone fracture. Lower and upper jaws, cheeks, and eye sockets may all be broken. As a consequence of these deficits, the ability to see, breathe, communicate, and swallow may be hampered. As a result, the expertise of oral and maxillofacial surgeons is crucial. Seatbelts, mouthguards, and suitable helmets and masks are required for everybody who participates in any kind of athletic activity, regardless of experience level.
Surgery on the Temporomandibular Joint
The temporomandibular joint (TMJ), located in front of the ear where the skull and lower jaw connect, allows the lower jaw to move and function. Temporomandibular Disorder symptoms include jaw soreness, earaches, headaches, limited mouth mobility, clicking, and grating sounds (TMD). TMJ dysfunction treatment options range from basic medical and dental treatments to more complicated surgical procedures. If non-surgical treatment fails or there is obvious joint damage, arthroscopy or direct surgical repair of affected tissue may be required.
Cancer of the mouth
As a precaution, oral and maxillofacial surgeons recommend that everyone do an oral cancer self-examination once a month. If you see white or red patches, an unusual lump, a persistent sore throat or hoarseness, or difficulty chewing or swallowing, consult your oral and maxillofacial surgeon. To properly diagnose the illness, a biopsy will be performed.
Dental Implants
When a patient loses a tooth, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon will surgically place a dental implant in the patient’s jawbone. Because of their titanium metal composition and the osseointegration process by which they become one with the jawbone, dental implants are non-removable and non-degradable. Because of the way dental implants merge with the jawbone throughout the healing phase, bone loss is seldom a concern.
Anesthesia for Outpatients
Oral and maxillofacial surgeons may provide patients with safe and effective outpatient anesthesia, including local anesthetic, nitrous oxide, intravenous sedation, and general anesthesia. As part of their surgical residency, residents must do a rotation in medical anesthesiology, where they will learn how to screen patients for anesthesia, deliver anesthesia, and monitor patients following anesthesia.
Treatment Using a Diode Laser
We utilize a specialized diode laser to safely and effectively remove extra gum tissue to expose more of the tooth’s surface for enhanced aesthetics and function. Your gums are reshaped using orthodontic lasers to make them seem more beautiful as the “frame” around which your teeth are placed. The best aspect about laser treatment? Needles are not required in the majority of circumstances! Patients will only feel the slight movement of the laser point when a topical anesthetic is administered to the gum tissue.
Optimal Bracket Positioning
If your gums haven’t receded enough or if a tooth is erupting more slowly than expected, a laser may be utilized to remove excess tissue and expose enough tooth surface to place a bracket. If desired, TADs may be linked to this instead of wearing headwear.
Teeth that are impacted
An impacted tooth has not fully erupted through the gums. Rather than having to wait months for a tooth to emerge on its own or endure an expensive surgical treatment, we may use laser therapy to help in its eruption.
Aesthetic Gingival Recontouring
If your braces have been removed, your orthodontist may recommend gum recontouring to enhance the look of your smile. The gum line is altered to display more of the teeth underneath using a method known as cosmetic gingival recontouring. Your orthodontist will use a laser to remove superfluous gum tissue from around your top teeth to make your teeth seem longer. If the gum line is uneven, aesthetic gingival recontouring may be used to sculpt the gum line to produce a more symmetrical, balanced smile.
