Reasons to See an Oral Surgeon

An oral surgeon is a medical or dental professional who specializes in surgery of the teeth, mouth, and gums. The scope of their practice can exceed this region a bit, extending to regions of the face and even the temporomandibular joint, which is the joint where the lower jaw meets the skull. Most people first meet an oral surgeon in their late teens and early twenties; about the time their wisdom teeth begin to give them trouble. You may also require oral surgery to replace a lost tooth or to improve the fit and comfort of dentures. This article describes the most common oral surgery procedures.

 

 

 

Wisdom teeth probably got their name because they erupt in late adolescence and early adulthood, the time when children become “wise.” They are also called third molars because they appear behind the first and second molar teeth at the back of the mouth. Due in part to the fact that they arrived so late to as compared to the rest of the teeth, wisdom teeth often become impacted or wedged between the jaw and gum. If they do erupt (come through the gum line) properly, they still may push at odd angles compared to the other teeth. This can cause pain and disrupt the preexisting teeth. If wisdom teeth are above the gum line it may be possible to perform a simple extraction. However, if the wisdom tooth is impacted and causing symptoms, it will need to be removed in an oral surgery procedure.

 

 

Dentures, or false teeth, must rest upon the gums after the teeth have been extracted. The gums, one of the most sensitive tissues in the body, can be irregular even after the gums have healed. Oral surgery can be performed to level out the gums and make the dentures more comfortable. This can be done prior to initial denture placement or many years after the dentures have been in place.

 

 

In addition to removal of false teeth that rest on top of gums, some people that are edentulous (without teeth) choose to have permanent dentures placed directly into the bones of the jaw. This form of oral surgery involves placing an artificial tooth with a fairly long metal root deep within the bone of the upper or lower law. The advantage of this oral surgery is that the teeth are held very firmly in place, are more comfortable, and do not require the patient to insert and remove them like traditional dentures. Tooth implants are common in people that lose a small number of teeth from injury or infection—these single false teeth can be aligned with the existing, natural row.

 

 

Oral surgeons may be called on to correct inborn errors of oral structure, such as cleft palate or lip. In cleft palate and lip, the face or roof of the mouth does not meet in the middle of the face. These defects need to be closed for medical and cosmetic reasons. Also, patients with trauma to the face may require oral surgery to repair the damage. Infections of the face and mouth may require oral surgery as well. Infections of the mouth and face can rapidly spread to the brain through the many blood, nerve, and other connections to that space. Surgical incision and drainage can be life-saving in some instances.