Oral surgery is necessary for conditions or injuries that extend beyond the expertise of a general dentist.
While general dentists are trained and equipped to treat a wide array of dental needs, there are some situations that simply need more specialized training and expertise.
Dry or healing tooth socket. If a tooth has been removed and the empty socket needs additional procedures to help heal properly, your dentist may suture a tooth socket closed that is having trouble healing.
Injury to tooth nerve endings. If you’ve suffered an oral injury to the extent that your teeth’s nerve endings are exposed or damaged, you may need a dentist to move or remove loose or damaged nerve endings to alleviate chronic pain and discomfort.
Damage to past dental work. If you’ve received dental work like a crown, a filling, or a veneer in the past, and you’ve suffered a traumatic dental injury, you may need a dentist to surgically replace or repair any damage caused to the restorations.
Traumatic dental injury. If you’ve ever suffered an impact on the jawbone during athletic activity, you know the pain and suffering these injuries can cause. Your dentist can perform surgery on the affected areas if the damage is extensive enough to warrant surgery.
Treating an abnormal bite or overcrowding. Braces are typically used to treat cases of abnormal bites or malocclusion. However, some severe cases may warrant surgery prior to orthodontic treatment to help ensure the braces can be successful.
Abscesses and other infections. If you’ve developed an abscess on your tooth root, the only way to treat the infection is for a dentist to surgically remove and clean the infected tooth root.