Although most oral health issues respond well to conservative care and treatment, oral surgery becomes necessary in some situations. Before you see an oral surgeon in Brooklyn, you must ensure that surgery is the right option for you. It is not always the initial suggestion, but your oral health issue could only be effectively managed through surgical intervention. Learning the circumstances that can lead to oral surgery can help you know what to expect when dealing with certain conditions.
The following are some reasons why oral surgery is done.
Extraction
Tooth extraction is one of the main reasons you will have to see an oral surgeon. Your teeth are designed to last a lifetime but can sometimes become problematic, raising a need to be eliminated. The most common oral surgery is wisdom teeth extraction. Although it does not mean every wisdom tooth must be removed, most situations are when the last set of teeth to emerge does not find enough space in the mouth, causing complications unless removed. It can affect your bite or cause overcrowding, increasing your risk for periodontal disease.
Oral Infections and Cancer
Though rare, being diagnosed with oral cancer will mean surgery to eliminate the growths. Your doctor will operate on the area with a tumor suspected to be malignant or that already dictates it is malignant. Also, infections that are deep-seated into your oral cavity will require surgery. The infection must be removed through a surgical intervention to prevent it from spreading further and causing more severe complications.
Impacted Teeth
When teeth emerge, they could be blocked by other teeth preventing them from erupting. Although they do not cause symptoms in most cases, sometimes impacted teeth can be painful and have to be removed. Since they have not erupted, your provider will have to cut through the gum and sometimes the bone to remove it in pieces. Also, even when the teeth have erupted but only halfway, it becomes difficult to clean them increasing risks for oral complications unless eliminated.
Cosmetic Purposes
Oral surgery can also be necessary as a corrective tool when one is born with deformities of the jaw. Your facial appearance is crucial to your confidence and self-esteem, and when you need to correct your deformity, the jaw can be corrected surgically. You might have receding gum because your jaw is too prominent, but that can be corrected through surgery. Also, some defects you might have attained through injury can be corrected.
Temporomandibular Joint Disease
If you are experiencing severe pain due to temporomandibular joint disease (TMJ), it can be very hard for you to speak or eat. Your doctor can correct this through surgical interventions like arthroscopy, arthrocentesis, or open joint surgery. Your provider might need to flush out inflammation-caused debris, reshape the joint, remove scar tissues or other unwanted materials, or eliminate any bone spurs.
Sleep Apnea
Several factors contribute to sleep apnea, including oral structural issues. Surgery can be employed to correct any structural problem associated with sleep apnea, especially where conservative measures like the use of CPAP do not work. Your provider might recommend palatal implants, genioglossus advancement, radiofrequency volumetric tissue reduction, or uvulopalatopharyngoplasty to address obstructive apnea.
Oral surgery might not be your initial treatment but is necessary to address issues like wisdom teeth, oral cancer, infections, and sleep apnea. Contact Brooklyn City Dental to consult the oral surgery specialists concerning your needs. Equip yourself with relevant questions to understand the nature of surgery you might need.
