Oral Surgery: What to Expect

[Divya Verma]

What do you do when you visit your dentist due to some pain and he/she recommends you to undergo surgery? You will probably think of changing your dentist or will surely consult another dentist. This is because you are dreaded to undergo the surgical procedure.

This kind of attitude is common among people because any kind of oral surgery involves the dentist to enter into your closet space and doing the surgical treatment. And not only that you are dreaded because you feel that this might be painful and you will end up in severe pain and damage to your jaw structure.

But in reality, this is the other way round. Yes, if we would have been having this discussion like 3 decades ago, then these procedures would have been painful. Now, with the development of dental technology and innovations, these treatments are painless and free from major complications.

To understand the effect of the treatment we first need to understand what all circumstances demand surgery and how are these performed.

Impacted Wisdom Teeth Removal

The eating habits of the person are such that their jaw does not grow properly which makes it difficult to accommodate all your teeth and hence you might face the condition of impacted wisdom tooth. Though it might not cause trouble in the short run but eventually will lead to pain and misalignment of other teeth. Not only this, the impacted wisdom tooth can cause food lodgment leading to gum problems or decay. This will also cause swelling in the area leading to acute pain. In such cases, the dentists recommend to surgically remove the impacted tooth.

Tooth Extraction

This happens in a case where your tooth is so badly damaged that even root canal cannot save it. The infected tooth thus has only one solution i.e. extraction. Usually, the tooth which is partially visible can be easily removed with the help of forceps but the tooth which is embedded in the gums will need a proper surgical process. Your dentist will make an incision in your bone take out the tooth and with the help of suture cover your gums. The healing period might also take some time.

Jaw Correction

A misaligned jaw can make you fall in trouble not only with respect to appearance but also due to functionality. For instance, in some people there is misalignment in the jaw such that the upper and the lower jaw do not grow properly causing problems in speaking, chewing and eating and even breathing. Though this problem can be corrected by braces but in severe cases, proper jaw surgery is what is advised to the people. Whereby both upper and lower jaw will be back in their position and will keep you healthy.

Another jaw surgery is the Temporomandibular Joint Disorder. In this, you will feel pain in the joint between your ear where your head and lower jaw meet. This needs to be treated by the dentist immediately and should not be exceeded beyond a given point. This can be treated using medication, therapy or splints. However, you might need to undergo mild surgery to get it cured.

Treatment to Missing Teeth

By now it is very clear that the best and the long-lasting solution to missing teeth is getting Dental Implants. They look and function exactly like your original tooth but one has to undergo the surgical procedure to get the same.

Many people believe that getting dental implants is a complex procedure as it takes a lot of time. Though it may sound as if it is so, in reality, the procedure is pretty simple and should be done by Implantologists only.

They are well-trained and experienced to carry out such a procedure with much ease and convenience. Your dentist will numb the area so that you do not feel pain. However, you might experience pressure on your tooth. an incision will then be made on the gums and the area where the implant is to be placed is cleaned. After this, the dental implant which is a screw is placed inside the gums. The gums are then sealed by sutures and will be left for a period of 3-4 months. This period is known as the healing period. During this time you are required to have regular dentist visit so that he/she can have close attention to your tooth healing. The implant once fused with the gums will work exactly like your natural tooth.

Improvement in aesthetic appearance

Prosthodontics is a range of procedures which are done if you have any aesthetic concerns attached. This includes reshaping of teeth due to various procedures best suited depending on your case.

The dental surgeries today do not carry any complications and are far safer than it used to be earlier.