Surgery on the teeth, mouth, or gums requires a deft, practiced hand. For oral surgery in Houston, the surgeon should offer a range of procedures to correct serious dental problems. Thanks to anesthesia options for dental surgery, patients feel no pain during the procedure. Oral surgeries at Lovett Dental Corpus Christi include various procedures that can help improve overall dental health and wellbeing.
1. Tooth Extraction
Wisdom teeth extractions are the most common form of extraction surgery. However, other teeth may need a dentist to pull them if they have severe infections or damages that prevent even endodontic root canal treatment from saving them. Tooth extraction requires surgery to allow the dentist to remove the tooth’s root under the bone with the top of the tooth. Some people follow this procedure with a dental implant that may occur during the same visit as the extraction.
Wisdom teeth often need extraction due to impaction that can cause pain or movement of surrounding teeth. Even in cases without wisdom teeth impaction, the teeth may be too difficult to clean around, leading to infection in the teeth later, requiring future extraction or root canal therapy.
2. Dental Implants
Dental implants replace missing teeth by putting a titanium screw into the jaw. After the installation of the implant, the bone naturally grows back to hold the screw in place. Later, the dentist places a crown on top of the post to replace the missing tooth.
Patients may have several options for anesthesia or sedation for dental implants and other oral surgeries, depending on the procedure, including local anesthesia, nitrous oxide sedation, and IV sedation. Patients who most benefit from nitrous oxide or IV sedation may have the following concerns:
- Sensitive gag reflex
- Fear or anxiety of dental procedures
- Sensitive teeth or oral tissues
- Long dental procedure requiring extensive oral work
- Low pain tolerance
3. Bone Grafting
Some patients who need dental implants may not have the adequate bone matter to support the implant base. Therefore, they need bone grafts to augment the jawbone before getting their implant. There are different forms of preparing the site at the time of extraction.
Socket preservation during extraction ensures that the tooth spot remains ready for receiving dental implants in the future. Often the oral surgeon will perform this procedure at the same time they extract a tooth.
Bone grafting options include sinus lift and ridge augmentation. The former involves building the upper jaw’s depth to ensure the bone has space for the implant. Doing this ensures the screw base for the implant does not affect the sinuses inside the skull. A ridge augmentation surgical procedure adds thickness to the bone to accommodate implant screws on the top or bottom teeth.
4. Oral Pathology
Other types of oral surgeries don’t involve the teeth but treat diseases inside the mouth. Most of the conditions dentists treat are not cancerous. However, they can also identify oral cancers and refer patients for treatment. Some commonly examined and treated diseases with oral surgeries include:
- Oral cancers
- Oral tumors or cysts
- Fungal infections
- Chronic ulcers inside the mouth
- Salivary gland conditions
- Herpes
Getting assessment and treatment for the above conditions can improve oral health. Additionally, oral surgeries can prevent serious complications from leaving those conditions untreated.
Reach Out to Lovett Dental Corpus Christi to Learn More About Types of Oral Surgery
Needing oral surgery requires choosing a qualified oral surgeon in Houston to help. Connect with us at Lovett Dental Corpus Christi for a consultation about our oral surgeries. Call 361-986-1117 or reach out to us online to get in touch with our staff to schedule an appointment. We want all our patients to have the best dental health possible, whether requiring oral surgery, cosmetic dentistry, or preventative care to achieve a healthy, winning smile.
