Oral Surgery: What You Should Know About Extractions

One of the most common oral surgery procedures we perform is the removal, or extraction, of wisdom teeth. Wisdom teeth tend to grow at odd angles within the mouth. When they are not straight, wisdom teeth can grow sideways, remaining under the gum and causing all kinds of problems with the other teeth. This is known as the wisdom teeth being impacted, which requires oral surgery to extract. Like all surgery, oral surgery is something we plan for very carefully, making sure you understand all the elements that go into a successful surgery, including after surgical care and how to properly heal. When it comes to oral surgery, we are especially careful given the location of the procedure.

When you have impacted wisdom teeth, we need to perform an oral surgery to remove them. This process is typically done at the dentist office, so you are in a known and comfortable environment. Naturally, there is always the chance your dentist will decide that you need to be moved to a hospital for the oral surgery. Typically, this only happens when there is more than one tooth to be removed, the process could be longer and more complicated than a simple extraction, or if there is a concern about the patient's overall health. One thing to note: if your oral surgeon or dentist finds an active infection in your mouth, they will put off the oral surgery till a different day. This is because we never want to operate in the mouth when there is an active infection and so will prescribe a course of antibiotics to remove the infection before you go in for your oral surgery.

Most oral surgery, including wisdom tooth extractions, are performed under general anesthesia. Local anesthesia can also be used, which numbs the gums and tissue around the tooth. General anesthesia will put you to sleep, meaning you will be unaware of the process, feel absolutely no discomfort, and awake in a slightly groggy state. Because this procedure and any oral surgery done under general anesthesia requires the need to put you to sleep, we will require you to not eat anything for at least 12 hours before the procedure takes place.

For a wisdom tooth extraction, we start the oral surgery by cutting the gum open to reveal the tooth. If there is any connective tissue that is connecting the tooth to the bone, we will remove this first so the tooth is not holding the bone. If there is any bone covering the tooth, or teeth, we will remove that as well, so the extraction path is clear. Finally, we will remove the tooth, cutting it into smaller pieces if necessary for a smooth extraction. After the oral surgery is completed, we will close up the extraction site with self-dissolving stitches. These will eventually dissolve completely.
After any surgery, including oral surgery, you will need to take it easy for a few days. Pain medications can be used in the event you have any discomfort.

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Your Gum Health Is Critically Important and a Periodontist Can Keep Gums Healthy

As a periodontist, we can restore your oral health by treating any signs of gum disease. Many people are unaware of how important gum health is to overall health. Your gums are what hold your teeth securely in place, and without them, your teeth could become loose and even fall out. We can help to prevent this and other complications that can arise by gum disease.

If you have not been to the dentist lately, there are several signs of gum disease you should watch for. Most of these you will notice when brushing your teeth. To start, look and see if your teeth appear longer than they used to. If so, this could be a sign of gum recession or your gums pulling away from your tooth structure. You should also look to see if your gums appear red, swollen, or are bleeding when you brush and floss your teeth. These can all be indicators of gum disease, and if you catch the condition early, you may not need a major treatment. However, the longer you let this condition fester, the more discomfort you will feel on a daily basis and the more intensive of a procedure will be necessary to correct the problem.

There are several ways a periodontist can restore your gums, including:
Deep cleaning. Very often, we can treat gum disease by performing a deep cleaning. Since gum disease is typically caused by plaque building up and becoming trapped under the gums, removing the plaque and tartar will remove the irritant and allow your gums to be restored to perfect health. This is the first step in any treatment plan because if the plaque remains, your gums will become unhealthy again.

Laser therapy. We use lasers to treat gum disease and to restore the health of the gums themselves. We can use them to break up the plaque under the gums and as a way to rejuvenate the gums and prompt growth due to gum recession.

Gum grafting. When the gums have receded to the point that your teeth are exposed and potentially becoming loose, major steps are required to correct it. We can do so using a gum graft. This is where tissue is taken from the roof of your mouth or from a donor and sutured to your gums before being pulled back around the teeth. Performing this procedure will help to keep your gums safe after they have receded. We also have a non-invasive method for doing this that does not require sutures or removing tissue from the roof of your mouth. To discuss our innovative solutions, call and schedule a consultation.

To schedule an appointment with a periodontist, call our office today. We are experts at what we do and will examine you before determining what type of procedure you need to ensure excellent gum health. Since we use a variety of treatment methods, you can count on us when you need treatment and want to recover quickly.

Gum Recession  >  Oral Surgery