Oral surgeons are specialists that perform specific surgical procedures on the mouth and jaws. These procedures can be required to repair birth defects such as a cleft palette or lip, full facial reconstruction following an accident, tooth removal and dental implants.
Oral surgeons in Wilmington NC can perform any and all common dental procedures but as they have taken additional training they can also undertake considerably more complex procedures than a general dentist. The typical oral surgeon has taken four or more years of in-depth training and education. General dentists remove teeth as a part of their profession but in the event there is a more complex procedure such as the removal of impacted wisdom teeth, they refer the patient to an oral surgeon.
There are a number of conditions that may require the talents of an oral surgeon, the two most common are the removal of impacted teeth and the placing of teeth implants.
Impacted teeth:
The third molars, often referred to as “wisdom teeth” are always the last teeth to develop. Sometimes there is no problem, the wisdom teeth emerge and the jaw is sufficiently large to accommodate them but unfortunately for many people, this is not the case. More often than not one or more of these teeth either fails to fully emerge or the tooth emerges misaligned. In cases like this there can be considerable swelling, pain and infection of the tissue surrounding the tooth. Not only can there be pain, infection and swelling, wisdom teeth can damage surrounding teeth. As a result, most dentists refer their patients with impacted wisdom teeth to oral surgeons in Wilmington NC to have then removed.
Although the majority of impacted teeth are the wisdom teeth they are not exclusively the problem. Cuspids and bi-cuspids can just as easily become impacted causing identical problems; these teeth also must be removed surgically.
Dental implants:
In the past the only solutions for tooth loss were bridges or dentures, however, today there is a third option; dental implants. A tooth implant is a replacement root; the implant is imbedded directly into the jaw bone. Once the implant has stabilized; this may take several months, an artificial tooth is fitted on top.
The ideal candidate for a dental implant has sufficient healthy jaw bone to hold the implant. There are people however that do not have sufficient natural bone, oral surgeons in Wilmington NC can graft bone from the patient or a donor, although it will take some time for the bone graft to complete, the resulting dental implant will be every bit as good. As long as the patient is healthy and committed to excellent oral hygiene the success level is very high.
There are certain dental procedures that can only be dealt with by oral surgeons in Wilmington NC. In the event you have a complex dental problem you are invited to contact Coastal Smiles Family Dentistry.
