Oral surgery as a branch of dentistry which includes a variety of surgical proedures in the oral cavity of the patient.
The most common procedures are:
- Extraction of teeth
- Wisdom tooth removal or alveolotomy
- Complicated tooth or residual root extraction
- Removing the tip of the tooth root or apicectomy
- Removal of impacted and retentive teeth or corticotomy
- Removal of various jaw cysts or cystectomy
- Augmentation or bone transplantation
- Sinus lift or raising the sinus bottom with augmentation
- Vestibuloplastic or modeling the bone and gums
- Installation of the dental implant
- Suture after extensive surgery
In case the extraction of teeth or residual roots cannot be done by classical method (forceps and levers), a surgical incision is performed in the lining of the jaw, in order to reveal the bone surrounding the tooth or residual root. An oral surgeon will relieve the tooth or the residual root by performing osteotomy of the surrounding bone to remove the tooth. After the procedure, the mucosa is then stitched by surgical sutures.
Almost all cysts of the jaw arise from the epithelial remains (Malassez corpuscles) of the embryonic structures in the Hertwing sheath, and especially the inflammatory ones related to teeth diseases. Although different, they can cause a number of difficulties, such as teeth movement due to bone resorption, shape changing or deformation of the jaw, inflammation of the cyst itself which will cause large abscesses in the jaw and facial area, even fractures of the jaw.
Panoramic pictures or x-rays of the jaw will help us diagnose and also show us both jaws with all their teeth in detail. If the cyst is small, it can be removed under local anesthesia, but if it is bigger, it will require surgery under general anesthesia.
In order for your oral surgeon to install implants or set a fixed bridge, it is necessary that you have healthy, strong jaw bones. In case your jaw does not have enough bones, there are several types of bone transplants.
- Allogenic transplants – the bone is transplanted from one person to the other. In this case, the donor and the acceptor (receiver) are different people.
- Autogenic transplants – the bone is transplanted from one place to the other. In this case the patient is both the donor and the acceptor (receiver). This is the best method because it guarantees very good results.
- Alloplastic transplants – synthetic materials such as: hydroxylapatite, tricalcium phosphate, polymers, glass-ceramics and collagen fibers.
- Xenogenic transplants – transplanted from other species. These include dried beef (Bio-Oss) bone, which only has the osteoconductive property.