The term “oral surgery” may seem intimidating at first, but the truth is this kind of treatment can be transformative and necessary for your smile. Today our Toluca Lake dentists are going to be discussing some of the key scenarios in which oral surgery becomes necessary. Let’s get started…
Dental Damage
Oral surgery often becomes necessary because an infection has spread throughout the patient’s dental structure, necessitating the removal of damaged tissues. This can occur when periodontal disease, for example, extends beyond the gum tissue into the jawbone or tooth structure. Additionally, a cavity that works its way through the entirety of a tooth will need to be extracted.
Impacted Wisdom Teeth
You may require oral surgery because your wisdom teeth cannot be easily extracted. Impacted wisdom teeth are stuck in the patient’s jawbone; these teeth cannot simply be pulled, because they do not emerge on the gum line. In these cases, your dentist will surgically remove the wisdom teeth from the jaw tissue.
Oral Cancers
Surgery is generally necessary when treating oral cancers. The goal of this treatment is to remove cancerous tumors from the patient’s head and neck. Depending on the location and size of your tumor this may affect the tongue, jaw, hard palate, gums, or sinuses.
As you can see, there are a number of situation in which oral surgery may be used to improve the health or appearance of your smile. Don’t avoid important treatments out of fear or anxiety! If you want to learn more please reach out to our Toluca Lake dentists by phone or through our Contact Us page.