ORAL SURGERY
What is Oral Surgery?
Oral surgery covers the diagnosis and surgical treatment of injuries, diseases and defects of the hard and soft tissues of the teeth, mouth, face and jaws.
While we always use the least invasive treatment possible for any dental health issue, in some cases, less invasive treatment options are simply not sufficient and oral surgery is required.
Dental Implants
A dental implant is a small titanium screw which functions like a natural tooth root. As part of the process to replace missing teeth and restore your smile, our dentists place dental implants. Together with a tooth replacement such as a bridge or crown, a dental implant looks and feels much like a natural tooth.
Gum Grafts
A gum graft can help to repair receding gums, cover exposed tooth roots, and reduce symptoms such as severe tooth sensitivity or eventual tooth loss. During this procedure, gum tissue is transplanted from the roof of the mouth onto another area of the gums to protect your oral health.
Tooth Extractions
While we always aim to save a natural tooth, there are some cases where this is impossible. If a tooth is too badly damaged due to gum disease, injury or decay, your dentist may need to remove it. Thanks to anesthetics and sedatives, extractions are no longer the ordeal they once were.
Wisdom Tooth Removal
The final set of molars to erupt in the back corners of a normal adult mouth are wisdom teeth. If these teeth are causing problems for your oral hygiene or are not growing in correctly, your dentist may recommend removing them to help preserve your oral health.
Frenectomy
The frenum is a small piece of tissue that joins your lips, cheeks or tongue to your gum area. The frenectomy procedure eliminates this piece of tissue if it is restricting function – commonly referred to as lip-tied, cheek-tied or tongue-tied. Our dentists perform frenectomies for patients of any age, but this safe, fast-healing procedure is most common for babies and children.
Bone Grafts
During a bone graft, your dentist adds bone tissue to your jaw, to help strengthen it in order to support a dental implant. During this procedure, bone from another part of your body, (or special bone grafting material) is surgically placed on your jaw bone. Once the bone graft has healed, the dental implant can be placed. A bone graft may also be recommended to help regenerate bone lost due to severe gum disease.
