Oral Surgery

Your Downtown Dentistry is proud to provide a selection of oral surgery services right here in our office. No more searching for specialists, as we can handle your extractions, dental implants, root canal treatments, and more, in the same office where you get your teeth cleaned! Keep reading to learn more or contact us today.

EXTRACTIONS

Tooth extraction is a restorative dental procedure that removes the tooth from its socket in the bone. Your Downtown Dentistry takes every precaution to ensure that our patients’ extraction process is as painless and pleasant as possible.

Why Tooth Extractions?

If a tooth has been broken or damaged by decay, our dentists will try to fix it with a filling, crown, or other treatment. Sometimes, though, there may have been too much damage for the tooth to be repaired. This is the most common reason for extracting a tooth.

ORAL PATHOLOGY

The inside of the mouth is normally lined with a special type of skin (mucosa) that is smooth and coral pink in color. Any alteration in this appearance could be a warning sign for a pathological process. The most serious of these is oral cancer. The following can be signed at the beginning of a pathologic process or cancerous growth:

  • Reddish patches (erythroplasia) or whitish patches (leukoplakia) in the mouth.
  • A sore that fails to heal and bleeds easily.
  • A lump or thickening on the skin lining the inside of the mouth.
  • Chronic sore throat or hoarseness. Difficulty in chewing or swallowing.

These changes can be detected on the lips, cheeks, palate, and gum tissue around the teeth, tongue, face, and/or neck. Pain does not always occur with oral pathology, and curiously, is not often associated with oral cancer. However, any patient with facial and/or oral pain without an obvious cause or reason may also be at risk for oral cancer.

WISDOM TEETH

Wisdom teeth are the last teeth to erupt within the mouth. When they align properly and gum tissue is healthy, wisdom teeth do not have to be removed. Unfortunately, this does not generally happen. The extraction of wisdom teeth is necessary when they are prevented from properly erupting within the mouth. They may grow sideways, partially emerge from the gum, and even remain trapped beneath the gum and bone. Impacted teeth can take many positions in the bone as they attempt to find a pathway that will allow them to successfully erupt.

These poorly positioned impacted teeth can cause many problems. When they partially erupt, the opening around the teeth allows bacteria to grow and will eventually cause an infection. The result: swelling, stiffness, pain, and illness. The pressure from the erupting wisdom teeth may move other teeth and disrupt the orthodontic or natural alignment of teeth. The most serious problem occurs when tumors or cysts form around the impacted wisdom teeth, resulting in the destruction of the jawbone and healthy teeth. Removal of the offending impacted teeth usually resolves these problems. Early removal is recommended to avoid such future problems and to decrease the surgical risk involved with the procedure.

FACIAL RECONSTRUCTION

Our doctors perform the proper treatment for facial injuries. These professionals must be well versed in emergency care, acute treatment, and long-term reconstruction and rehabilitation – not just for physical reasons but emotional as well. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are trained, skilled, and uniquely qualified to manage and treat facial trauma. Injuries to the face, by their very nature, impart a high degree of emotional, as well as physical trauma to patients. The science and art of treating these injuries requires special training involving a “hands-on” experience and an understanding of how the treatment provided will influence the patient’s long-term function and appearance.