What is oral surgery?
Oral surgery may get an individual thinking of hospitals, general anesthesia and days of recovery. This is not the case; you would be surprised what dental oral surgery in Kittanning PA actually is. Many of the day to day procedures that happen in a dental office are considered as oral surgery. The procedures are simply considered as part of the total treatment.
There are a number of procedures that are considered as oral surgery:
Tooth extractions: This is the most recognized form of dental oral surgery in Kittanning PA. There are a number of reasons for tooth extraction:
* Impacted wisdom teeth
* Teeth which are beyond repair, caused by decay, trauma or a broken root
* Children’s first teeth which fail to fall out, preventing the growth of the permanent teeth
* Orthodontic treatment in preparation for corrective braces
Surgery to repair jaw problems: Jaw surgery is performed by a maxillofacial surgeon, common reasons to perform jaw surgery are:
* TMJ (temporomandibular joint) pain and jaw dysfunction
* Trauma
* Malocclusion, incorrect bite
* Jaw clenching and grinding of teeth, which cause premature and excessive tooth wear
* Difficulties with chewing, talking or opening the mouth
* Misaligned face and poor proportions
Dental implants:
Dental implants are becoming more popular as a way to replace missing teeth. Rather than suffer the discomfort often caused by dentures, a third tooth is built and implanted. Dental implants, although usually associated with a new tooth, can also be used to anchor an existing denture or stabilize it. The dental oral surgery in Kittanning PA procedure is reasonably straight forward, although there are certain prerequisites before the procedure can be done.
The jaw bone where the titanium implant will be sited must be capable of holding it. If the bone is damaged or has suffered trauma, the oral surgeon will first have to replace it with bone grafted either from the patient or from a cadaver. If this has to be done, it can easily add nine months to the procedure; however, if the jaw bone is capable of holding the implant, the procedure may take only two to three months. Once the implant has firmly affixed itself to the bone, a crown can be attached to the implant; the result is an artificial tooth which will not be seen as such. The shape and color match the surrounding teeth perfectly.
Treatment of disease:
Oral cancer is a common killer, taking the lives of 8,000 Americans every year. The dentist is aware of this and in the event he notices anything irregular with the mouth, teeth, neck or jaw, he may perform a biopsy to further aid with diagnosis. Oral surgery is used, often in combination with radiation treatment, in the treatment of this disease.
If you need dental oral surgery in Kittanning PA you are invited to contact Quad County Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery. With three offices in Kittanning, Butler and Grove City, they are in a position to provide a variety of surgical services.