Read This Before Your Oral Surgery

Oral surgery is significantly more common than you would think. When people think of the word surgery, they often conjure up images of a doctor standing under an operating light, performing heart surgery. However, oral surgery can involve simple things like removing a tooth or extracting impacted wisdom teeth.  Both simple and complicated surgeries can be performed under the banner of oral surgery. However, what is important for you to remember is that when you come in oral surgery, you are in fact having surgery. As such, you will get detailed instructions from our oral surgery team as to how you should prepare for the surgery, as well as getting post-operative instructions. It is absolutely vital if you are scheduled for oral surgery that you follow the preoperative instructions precisely. Actually, we will go over all of these in the final consultation before the day of your surgery. If you have specific concerns or questions about the process, you should make sure to ask in the final consultative visit before the surgery is scheduled.

Here are a few common practices that will help you prepare for the oral surgery. These are not intended to supersede the specific instructions given by our oral surgeon but rather, to give you a general guideline of how to best prepare for your surgery.

• If you have been scheduled to have general anesthesia with your oral surgery, it is critical that you do not eat or drink anything for a minimum of eight hours before the surgery. If you have any liquid or solid food in your stomach during the anesthesia, this can pose a life-threatening situation. In the event you have actually consumed something in the eight hours before the scheduled time of the surgery, you need to let your oral surgeon know as soon as possible. Similarly, we recommend that you do not smoke or consume alcohol for at least eight hours before the surgery.
• We highly recommend that you brush your teeth prior to your appointment. Brushing your teeth will help greatly reduce the number of bacteria in your mouth and hence lower your chance of catching an infection.
• For the day of the oral surgery itself, we recommend that you wear loose-fitting and comfortable clothes. It is highly recommended that you wear a short-sleeve shirt so it is easier for us to take your blood pressure and apply any necessary monitors. Many patients find that a t-shirt, sweatpants, and gym shoes are the most comfortable way to come in for surgery. It is also recommended that you bring a responsible adult with you, somebody who can drive you home while you are still under the effects of anesthesia. You will be groggy for several hours after the appointment and will be unable to drive.
• Finally, we recommend that you take care of all financial arrangements, ask any questions, make arrangements to collect your prescriptions, and use the restroom before the start of your oral surgery. You may be a little too sleepy to remember these things afterward.

We will prepare you for your surgery during your appointments but feel free to ask questions of our surgeon at any time.

Implant Dentist  >  Periodontist

Oral Surgery for Impacted Teeth

You may need oral surgery if one of your teeth never came in properly. Most people think of an impacted tooth in relation to a wisdom tooth that only grew in partially or remained impacted, and very often, that is what we treat. We can remove your wisdom teeth so they do not create a health risk or push your teeth forward due to a lack of space. However, orthodontists also recommend oral surgery for impacted teeth, and here is why:

Some teeth never grow in correctly.

There are a variety of reasons that this happens, which can include baby teeth remaining in place for too long. If they do not fall out, it leaves the permanent tooth inside the gums, unable to descend unless it goes on top or behind the baby tooth. Similarly, if there is just not enough room in the mouth for a tooth, it may never descend.

What should I do with an impacted tooth?

Oral surgery is typically your best option since otherwise, it will not come down on its own. The tooth can either be removed entirely or an orthodontist and oral surgeon can work together to bring it down. Surgically, the gum must be cut open so the tooth is exposed. At this point, the surgeon can bond a bracket to the lower portion of the tooth so the orthodontist can access it and begin to complete a procedure to slowly and gently lower the tooth into position. Your orthodontist can let you know how long this will take.

Can I simply leave the tooth in place?

Yes, but it poses a clear health risk. In the case of an impacted wisdom tooth, there is usually an area where food can become trapped, making it all too easy for your back molars to become infected. In the case of a tooth that never descended, leaving it in place can lead to the damage of your tooth roots — the other ones. Essentially, this tooth could disrupt your other healthy teeth and create additional problems for them. The actual impacted tooth can develop a cyst or other conditions. Overall, this makes it important to remove an impacted tooth or undergo a treatment to help it descend.

What happens next?

Once your new tooth is in place, it may not be straight. In fact, it is rather unlikely that it will be. In this scenario, you may want to undergo an orthodontic treatment to straighten all of your teeth and to complete your smile transformation. You may elect to do this with traditional braces or clear aligners. Both work well, but it is highly likely that you will have already been wearing braces to help pull down the impacted tooth.

The first step in this process is to determine if your tooth is impacted and whether or not you want to remove it using oral surgery. Remember that even if you want to keep the tooth, surgery will begin the process by exposing it. We can explain both solutions further when you come in for a consultation.

Oral Surgery is Nothing to Fear With the Right Dentist

Many people avoid having severe problems treated because they are fearful of oral surgery. This is a dangerous game because these problems will only worsen and cause more discomfort and irreversible damage. Oral surgery has been described by many as a scary experience that cause discomfort and anxiety, but in our office, we make oral surgery a pleasant, simple experience. Do not let the poor work performed by some unqualified or hurried surgeons deter you from seeking out the help you need from our office. We can provide you with whatever oral surgery procedure you need while also making it an experience you are pleased with.

Which Conditions are Treated by Oral Surgery

There are many conditions we can treat with oral surgery, some of which are:

• Impacted Teeth: Wisdom teeth or other teeth that have grown into a crowded area and are causing discomfort or poor function are referred to as impacted teeth. When the jawbone does not provide enough space for these teeth to grow in, they grow into improper alignment and may not even fully erupt through the gum line. When this occurs, it is called impaction, because the teeth become trapped between the gum tissue and bone. When this problem is not treated with the proper oral surgery, it can cause infection, bleeding, pain, misaligned teeth, and even tooth loss.
• Tooth Replacement: Some tooth replacement options like dental implants require oral surgery. When you are receiving a dental implant, a prosthetic, titanium post will be surgically inserted into your jawbone to act as a strong tooth root for an artificial tooth.
• Orthodontics: In severe cases of tooth or jaw misalignment, it may be suggested that you undergo oral surgery to have excess teeth that are growing in incorrectly removed. If these teeth are not removed, they could damage nearby teeth or inhibit jaw shape and function.
• Facial Injury: If your face or dental structure is injured in a sports accident, car accident, or other collision, we can provide the needed oral surgery to fix these problems and improve the appearance of your face.

How We Make Oral Surgery a Pleasant Experience

Our staff is courteous, polite, and experienced so we know how to approach each unique procedure that is needed for each individual patient. We provide you with care you will trust, and with a comfortable office experience every time. For each procedure, we will administer the necessary anesthetics or sedation so you can avoid anxiety or dental phobia throughout your visits. We will work with you to determine what type of sedation is best for you or if it is even necessary. We guarantee you will not experience discomfort during your procedure because we offer adequate numbing during surgery and needed pain relievers following invasive procedures. If you are experiencing any slight discomfort or you are nervous, let us know, and we will help deter these feelings.

When you need oral surgery, do not hesitate to contact our office to learn more. You will not need to feel worried or scared because you will know you can trust our services as soon as you speak with our staff.

Dental Implants  >  Gum Recession

Conditions That Can Be Treated With Our Oral Surgery

Many dental conditions can easily be treated with oral surgery. Modern oral surgery is faster and safer than ever before. Now, you can undergo oral surgery without any lingering side effects and with a fast recovery time. If you need oral surgery for any reason, don't put it off. Oral surgery can benefit your teeth and your gums, providing you with a better overall oral health. Below are a few of the conditions we frequently treat with oral surgery. For a full list, visit our office.

Wisdom Teeth

Many people have the need for wisdom teeth removal. Wisdom teeth are a set of molars, called third molars, that are normally the last to develop and the most unnecessary. Normally, developing wisdom teeth only cause more problems for patients because most jaws are not large enough to contain them, and other teeth become harmed or crowded due to the new growth.

When wisdom teeth begin to emerge, more often than not, they cause alignment issues or fail to erupt through the gums correctly. When this happens, wisdom teeth can become trapped between the jawbone and gum tissue, causing irritation and swelling. If wisdom teeth are left in this position, an infection can occur and can lead to tooth loss and permanent gum or jaw damage. Wisdom teeth removal is one of the most common oral surgery procedures we and many other oral surgeons perform, with over five million people having wisdom teeth removed every year.

Dental Implants

Dental implants are another common reason for oral surgery. If you have missing teeth, dental implants are the most permanent and long-lasting replacement option you can receive. A dental implant is a fabricated tooth root structure surgically implanted into your jawbone. The material these implants are made up of is titanium, which can actually fuse with your jawbone to create a permanency similar to a natural tooth root, if not stronger. Once a dental implant becomes fully fused with your bone after oral surgery, a realistic, tooth-colored prosthetic tooth will be placed on the implant device to fill in the area where your tooth had been and to provide functionality for eating and speaking.

Periodontal Disease Treatment

There are several forms of oral surgery performed to treat periodontal disease. Periodontal disease, also known as severe gum disease, is infection and bacteria under your gum line. When periodontal disease is left untreated, it becomes worse and can kill off healthy gums and teeth. There are nonsurgical periodontal disease treatments that should be considered before oral surgery. If the need for oral surgery arises, we can perform soft tissue and bone grafts, flap surgery to reduce periodontal pockets, and even bone surgery to reshape damaged bone to reduce craters.

These are three of the most common oral surgery treatments we perform. In addition to these, we provide a wide array of surgical options to provide a better dental health. All of our surgeries include proper anesthetics to eliminate any form of discomfort and instructions to help you heal quickly and fully following your procedure.

Cosmetic Dentist  >  Gum Recession

Are You Healthy Enough for Traditional Oral Surgery?

Oral surgery should never be taken lightly. If you need it, you should receive it soon before more long term damage is done to your oral health. Traditional oral surgery may not be for everybody though. If your health is at stake, it is important to seriously ask yourself if you are well enough for traditional oral surgery. It can be a more invasive procedure and a potentially harmful procedure for people who have had recent illnesses or have current serious health problems that make them more vulnerable. If you are concerned that you are not healthy enough, or you do not want to endure the long recovery period that comes with some surgeries like gum grafting, visit our office for an alternative option that works wonders. 

Traditional oral surgery still works excellently and is advised for many patients, but if your health puts you in an at-risk category, our laser therapy might be the best option for you. Our laser surgery uses an intense beam of light to correct dental flaws. Unwanted or unneeded tissue is easily vaporized with the laser energy. Lasers can also be a wonderful alternative to classic root planing and scaling. Our dental lasers gently remove bacteria and infection as they cleanse your gums and teeth. These lasers are often used to clean infected areas prior to another laser surgery like a gum graft. The pros of laser oral surgery are unlimited, but a few of the main uses and desirous qualities are listed following.

The Pros of Laser Oral Surgery:
Dental laser oral surgery is quicker and more efficient than traditional methods.
The use of lasers can detect early decay in your teeth.
Lasers remove bacteria more quickly than traditional dental tools.
Laser therapy is a less invasive way to remove the infection below the gum line if you have periodontal disease.
Lasers can reshape your gums after periodontal disease as an alternative to gum grafting.
Laser surgery cuts down on recovery time because it is so minimally invasive. The laser heat can jumpstart healing.
Laser heat seals blood vessels and minimizes the need for sutures after a procedure.
Our dental lasers can cut through and drain a tooth abscess for fast relief.
We can use our lasers to gently remove small potentially cancerous bits of oral tissue to send it in for a biopsy.
Dental lasers can be used to remove lesions or sores that might be causing discomfort.
With dental lasers, you don't have to fear the ominous sound of a dental drill. This can be helpful for people who suffer from dental phobia.

Our laser oral surgery minimizes discomfort, and the potential for swelling following a procedure is reduced.
Although the pros of dental laser oral surgery far outweigh the cons, there is sometimes still a need for traditional oral surgery. In cases where your immune system is already compromised, we definitely encourage you to pursue a laser oral surgery first as it will more easily maintain your oral health as your immune system continues to heal.

Laser Dentistry  >  Oral Surgery

What to Expect and How to Plan for After Oral Surgery

If you need oral surgery, you have come to the right place.  We are experts and can complete your surgery quickly and with efficiency.  This is critical because not every dentist is an expert oral surgeon, so you need to ask what percentage of their practice is surgical and how frequently they perform this particular procedure.  Having this information at hand will enable you to determine who the best provider is for your particular situation.  As with anything, the more frequently a dentist performs surgery, the better they will be.

Regardless of what type of surgery you have, there will be a recovery process.  Surgery, in its very nature, is invasive so you cannot expect to have an operation and head back to normal life the moment you step off of the operating table.  Instead, it is better to have a realistic expectation and make preparations for how you will feel.  We like to start by advising you to have someone with a comfortable car drive you home.  We perform operations under anesthesia so you will probably feel sleepy when we are done.   If you can have someone drive you home and put you to bed, you will probably sleep for several hours, making the recovery go by faster.

The day before your oral surgery, you should prepare by eating a large dinner.  Unless you have diabetes, you will probably not be allowed to eat for twelve hours before the procedure so make sure that your dinner is filling and contains protein for sustained energy.  You should also get your bed ready with extra pillows that are positioned so you can recline, rather than lay flat on your bed.  We also recommend putting water bottles on your nightstand along with a bottle of ibuprofen and some pudding snacks, or other food that is room temperature and soft, since you won't be able to eat anything significant for 24 to 48 hours after the procedure.

You should also purchase some soft ice packs from the drug store.  Buy several so that you don't have to wait for the one you are using to freeze again before placing it back onto your face.  You can use ice for fifteen minutes at a time with fifteen-minute breaks in between.  This will help the swelling to be reduced so that you can feel comfortable and heal faster.  If you have someone to help with this process – excellent.  If not, try to prepare as much as you can ahead of time so that you won't have to get out of bed and can focus on relaxing during your recovery.

We will also give you an antibiotic to take to help reduce the risk of an infection along with gauze to stop and control the bleeding.  If you have any problems during the first 24 to 48 hours after oral surgery, call our office so that we can advise you as to the next steps.  Otherwise, once 48 hours have passed the swelling should be all or mostly gone and you can start to eat the majority of foods again as long as you continue to avoid anything that is sharp like pretzels or chips.

Implant Dentist  >  Dental Implants

Here are Some Common Risks With Oral Surgery That We Help to Prevent

Whenever you have surgery, even oral surgery, there are certain inherent risks that go along with such a procedure. Modern medicine has decreased the likelihood that there will be a complication and the careful care of your oral surgeon diminish it even further. For the vast number of patients, surgeries are carried out without a hiccup and working with an experienced surgeon helps to make that possible.  However, surgery still involves an invasion into the normal functions of the mouth, and as such there are some risks involved. 

It is a good idea to understand some of the underlying risks as you prepare for your procedure. We will be there each step of the way to make sure you understand not only any risks, but also a detailed perspective on the procedure itself. This understanding allows you to make the best, most informed decision about your own personal oral health. Here are a few of the more common risks with an oral procedure. 

• Bleeding: Anytime you have oral surgery, there is going to be some level of bleeding. This is normally controlled easily and typically only lasts for the day of the surgery itself. If, however, you have excessive or prolonged bleeding after a surgery, we want to know so that we can ensure there hasn't been a complication. Similarly, if you have a condition like hemophilia, which cause uncontrolled bleeding, you should let us know before the surgery.
• Infection: Whenever there is an open wound, as in the case of an oral surgery, there is a risk of infection. Fever, swelling, heat, chills, and redness should immediately be reported. If you find yourself experiencing general malaise, this may also be a sign of an infection and should be reported. The good news is that it is very easy to deal with an infection by simply using an antibiotic. 
• Surrounding teeth: Oral surgery puts pressure, not only on the tooth itself, but also on the surrounding teeth. If the tooth or teeth next to the site of the surgery are weakened they could break, immediately or in the near future. A weakened filling could also crack or fall out under the pressure of the surgery. These are not serious complications as your dentist can repair the tooth or replace the filling that has been lost.  If a bone breaks, this is slightly more complicated and could require additional surgical correction. 
• Paresthesia: Pressure on or around the site of the surgery can cause permanent or temporary changes in the sensations of the nerves. Paresthesia can cause a sensation of burning, prickling, numbness, or itching. This is caused by the local area anesthesia and can be a serious condition. If you have any of these feelings, you should call us immediately.

When performing oral surgery, we learn everything we can about our patient's health in order to minimize any risk associated with the procedure.  By understanding what issues could arise, we can plan for how to prevent them so that patients can recover quickly without complications.  Prior to each procedure, we go over everything in detail so that our patients can make plans for how to remain comfortable during their recovery and ensure the ultimate success of the procedure.  To learn more about our methods, call and schedule a consultation. 

Oral Surgery Can Be Used in Treating Gum Disease

Gum disease is a serious condition, and oral surgery is often needed in order to correct it.  Gum disease starts as gingivitis and can make gums red, swollen, and bleed slightly.  It is uncomfortable but not particularly painful.  When caught early, it can be treated by conducting a deep cleaning on and underneath the gums.  If it is left untreated, the gums can start to recede and expose more of the tooth and root structure. This can be painful and create complications.

Patients with severe gum disease may start to have pockets form in the gum tissue.  These pockets can look like little holes in the gums.  Bacteria will often gather here and can start to attack the tooth and root structure which puts teeth at risk.  If untreated, teeth can start to fall out or require additional procedures in order to save them.

Many dentists will treat the beginning stages of gum disease by performing cleanings but are not experts at treating severe gum disease.  This typically requires oral surgery and a gum graft.  In this procedure, tissue is taken from the roof of the mouth and grafted to the receding gums in order to close up the pocket and secure the gums back in place around the tooth.  This is essential for protecting teeth and preventing any additional complications like a dental abscess.  At the Perio & Implant Center we specialize in this procedure and will ensure that it goes smoothly so that patients can start to feel better quickly.

The Risks of Gum Disease

There are many risks associated with gum disease that go far beyond oral health.  This is the primary concern as gum disease can lead to teeth falling out.  There are, however, other complications to consider.  Pregnant women are in particular danger as gum disease can force pre-term labor and even make babies born at a low birth weight.  Just as regular trips to the OBGYN are essential during pregnancy, so are trips to the dentist and having any gum disease treated right away. This is a simple step that can make a big difference in the health of the child.

Every adult should be concerned with the health of their gums since scientists have found a link between gum disease and heart disease.  Statistically, 91 % of people with heart disease also have unhealthy gums.  Heart disease is the leading cause of death in both women and men with 33% of female deaths and 25% of male deaths caused by heart disease. The current thought is that inflamed gums are the primary issue, but ongoing studies are being conducted to further research how the two are connected.  What is clear is that leaving gum disease untreated is not an option for people wanting to stay in good health.

If you need oral surgery to treat your gum disease, the staff at the Perio & Implant Center is a team of experts.  Call (650) 327-4464 for your consultation or to learn more about our services.