Some dental health concerns are common and can impact nearly anyone, such as tooth decay and gum disease. In many cases, such concerns can be easily addressed with the right level of general or restorative dental care. However, some patients may experience issues with their oral tissues and/or structures that can’t be addressed by general means, and may require oral surgery to adequately address.
When wisdom teeth become impacted
One of the more common reasons for needing oral surgery is to surgically extract a tooth that can’t be removed simply. For example, when wisdom teeth (or third molars) becomes impacted behind your other molars, they may have trouble erupting completely, or at all, from your gums. This can make it impossible to extract the molars with general treatment. Instead, we can surgically expose the entire tooth structure to remove it safely and without causing any damage to the surrounding bone structure.
When you experience facial trauma
Oral surgery often focuses specifically on oral health, but oral health concerns aren’t always the main concern. For instance, if you experience trauma to your facial structures, then the impact and damage could also have affected one or more of your oral structures. With intricate knowledge of your oral and facial structures, including how they should work together, oral/maxillofacial surgeons are often specifically skilled in helping patients recover from traumatic oral and facial injuries. The specific surgery you require will depend on the nature and severity of your injury, and may include corrective surgery, tooth replacement with dental implants, or more.
When you want to replace a tooth with an implant
Dental implants are often the preferred method of replacing lost teeth because they’re designed to replace your missing teeth roots. This makes them the only option for restoring the majority of your lost tooth’s functions, including the stimulation that its root provides to keep your dental ridges healthy. For an implant to replace a lost tooth root, it must be surgically placed within the bone structure of the dental ridge, allowing it to absorb the pressure of your bite as it’s transferred through your restoration.
Learn if oral surgery is the answer you need
For complex issues that can’t be addressed with more general dental care, we can perform a number of oral/maxillofacial surgeries to help you restore your oral health and bite function. To learn more, or to schedule your consultation, call the Texas Institute of OFI Surgery in Midlothian, TX, today at 469-649-8259. We also serve patients who live in Dallas, Mansfield, Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Desoto, Red Oak, Waxahachie, Ft. Worth, and all surrounding communities.