Dental extraction is the removal of teeth which have become unrestorable, or sometimes for the purpose of Orthodontic treatment to create space so that the rest of the teeth can be aligned. This tooth extraction is a simple painless procedure done under local anaesthesia by a dental surgeon or a specialist Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon. Stitches are placed if required and medications are prescribed to relieve from discomforts if any.
Saving a tooth from extraction is always your dentist’s first priority. Although removing a tooth may seem like quite a simple procedure, sometimes extraction can be more complicated due to various reasons.
In cases where the condition of the tooth is too severe due to gross destruction from decay or fractured due to trauma or decay or severely infected or the tooth is buried inside the bone and impacted, surgical removal by the specially trained and experienced Oral & Maxillofacial surgeon will be required.
This procedure is done under local anaesthesia by a specialist Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon.Stitches are placed if required and medications prescribed to relieve from discomforts if any.
Wisdom teeth (also known as third molars) are the last teeth to develop and appear in your mouth. They come in between the ages of 17 and 25, a time of life that has been called the “Age of Wisdom.” When such a tooth doesn’t fully grow in, it’s impacted – usually unable to break through the gums because there isn’t enough room.
An impacted wisdom tooth can damage neighbouring teeth or become infected. Because the tooth is in an area that is hard to clean, it can also invite bacteria that lead to gum disease. Oral bacteria can travel through your bloodstream and lead to infections and illnesses that affect your heart, kidneys and other organs.
In some cases, a cyst or tumor can form around the base of the impacted tooth, which can lead to more serious problems as it hollows out the jaw and damages surrounding nerves, teeth and other parts of your mouth and face.
Such teeth will have to be surgically extracted by the specialist Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon under Local Anaesthesia or General Anaesthesia after proper examination and assessment with Radiographs.
In some individuals the permanent teeth may remain buried within the bone, mostly the upper and lower canine teeth. These teeth can cause irregularities in other teeth alignment. Some teeth may be placed inside the bone in a favourable position. The specialist oral and maxillofacial surgeon expose that tooth through a minor surgical procedure and helps the orthodontist to guide the tooth into its appropriate position among the other set of teeth through orthodontic treatment achieving a beautiful, healthy smile.
Any abnormal changes (lesion) in the oral cavity need to be tested microscopically by removing a sample of tissue from the lesion and appropriate treatment for curing such diseases shall be done by the Specialist Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon.
Infection arising in a tooth or multiple teeth may at times lead to the development of abscess and dental cysts in the root tip area within the bone. These teeth are preserved and saved by Root canal Treatment. While most root canals are successful, there are times when a root canal alone isn’t sufficient.
In situation when the infection from the dead nerve inside a tooth spreads beyond the tooth root and into the surrounding bone, those teeth can be saved by surgical removal of the dental cyst and infection at the root tip. This surgery is carried out under local anaesthesia by a specialist Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon.
In some people small extra folds of tissue located inside the upper lip, lower lip and below the tip of tongue (Tongue tie) may cause abnormal spacing between teeth, and other functional problems affecting speech and phonation and often displace denture during function.
A Frenectomy is a simple surgical procedure performed under Local Anaesthesia by a specialist Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon for relieving this abnormal band of tissue to correct speech, improve the tongue mobility and often prior to denture construction.
The bone surfaces of the upper and lower jaw supporting the teeth will have many irregular surfaces after the teeth in that area are removed. These irregular bony surfaces may later cause difficulties and create interferences in replacing teeth with a denture and may be the cause of frequent pain and ulcerations in the mouth making normal functioning difficult and troublesome. These irregular bony surfaces are treated by a minor surgical procedure called Alveoloplasty, where the specialist Oral & Maxillofacial surgeon recontour the bony surfaces for providng best possible tissue contour for the replacement of the missing teeth.
Before placing a crown on a tooth that has been weakened by decay or is cracked, broken or severely worn down, a crown-lengthening procedure may be carried out in certain situations by the specialist Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon to ensure that enough of the tooth structure is available to securely hold a crown.
Dental implants are effective and permanent method of replacement of single or multiple or whole teeth. Dental Implants are made of Titanium and they resemble the tooth root. These Implants provide strong foundation for fixed (permanent) or removable replacement of teeth that are made to match your natural teeth.
The conventional method of missing teeth replacement by fixed methods (bridge) requires grinding of the good adjacent teeth. Dental implants provide a safe, fixed replacement of missing teeth without any grinding of adjacent teeth. The root portion of the implant fuses with the bone by a process called Osseointegration and serves as a permanent pillar supporting the replaced tooth. Implant supported full denture is an excellent method for full mouth teeth replacement. If properly cared for, dental implants can last a lifetime.
Dental implant placement is a minor surgical procedure done under local anaesthesia or General anaesthesia by the specialist Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon or others who are specially trained in it. Dept of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery offer a number of tooth replacement options including single dental implants and implant-supported dentures. Patients without sufficient bone and tissue may receive a bone or soft tissue graft in order to facilitate the placement of dental implants.