Oral surgery is an area of surgery that involves procedures in the areas of dentistry, orthodontics and dental restorations, and the successful treatment of other dental problems in the oral cavity.
Which cases might require oral surgery?
- complicated tooth extraction
- removal of wisdom teeth
- removal of dental roots
- sinus lifting
- cyst removal
- root apex resection
- sinus closure
- bone replacement surgery
- implantation
- surgical correction of other abnormalities of the oral cavity.
Why is it necessary to have an oral surgeon to perform a teeth extraction?
Extracting a tooth is not always as simple as just pulling it out with pliers. Sometimes it is a complicated task and requires oral surgical intervention. Especially if the tooth is covered with the gums or the jawbone. The most common case of surgical tooth extraction is the removal of wisdom teeth when they are unable to break through without intervention. In such cases, oral surgery is indispensable, as in time this condition can lead to serious problems.
It may also occur that the dental crown of the tooth to be extracted is already missing, either because it broke during an accident or suffered extensive tooth decay. These cases also require the help or an oral surgeon to remove the remaining tooth in a safe way.
Which cases might require a cyst removal or a dental root apex resection?
Cysts in the oral cavity are quite common. We can differentiate between a large variety of types. They form most often near the root apex of necrotic teeth. They can be considered as an inflammatory process originating from an infected tooth. The presence of a cyst usually does not cause any pain, thus they are generally recognised on X-ray images taken for another reason. In most cases, the inside of the cyst is filled with liquid, produced continuously by the cyst wall. This liquid exerts a pressure on the bone, which can be resorbed, and thus the cyst can grow in size. Root canal treatment may reduce the size of the cyst or even cure it. If this does not happen, or the sheer size of the cyst excludes this possibility, it is strictly necessary to remove the cyst as it can grow up to 5 or 6 cm in diameter, thus causing severe damage to the jawbone. During this surgery, the root apex is also removed.
Several factors can influence the success of the procedure:
- the extent of inflammation
- root length
- your general health status
- possible chronic diseases
All of these have to be considered before the oral surgical intervention. Healing can take a long time after surgery.