It may sound like a last resort, but oral surgeries are more common than you might think. Surgery is a better option than ignoring oral health problems, and allowing them to progress to the point of severe pain and difficult treatment. Some of the first signs that something is wrong include tooth decay, bleeding gums, pain, or loose teeth.
Oral surgery has advanced over the years and many of the procedures are less invasive than they used to be, and recovery times have lessened. Some common surgeries include removing teeth, realigning jaws, or removing damaged gum tissue. Sometimes the goal of surgery is cosmetic, and in other cases surgery is necessary to correct oral issues or promote oral hygiene. Here are some specific oral surgery procedures:
- Wisdom teeth extraction – the final teeth to develop, wisdom teeth can bring problems with them. They can come in crooked or they can get stuck (or impacted) under your gums and require extraction. Infections or damage to your other teeth can result, not to mention causing misalignment of your smile.
- Dental extraction – aside from wisdom teeth, other teeth sometimes require extraction. This is often related to severe tooth decay.
- Root canal – if a tooth becomes infected, the tooth pulp may need to be removed. This is called a root canal. The infected area of the tooth is eliminated, the tooth is filled, and then a crown is placed on top.
- Dentures – senior adults or those with severely damaged teeth may choose dentures, which might involve surgical procedures for placement.
- Jaw surgery – a less common type of oral surgery is jaw surgery, which usually serves to correct jaw misalignment. This can treat dental and chewing issues, as well as provide cosmetic improvement.
If you decide to proceed with oral surgery, make sure you ask your dentist or oral surgeon all of your questions about the entire process. This includes pre-surgery, the procedure itself, and what to expect afterwards. Being as informed as possible goes a long way in your comfort level as well as contributing to a healthy outcome.
