Table of contents:
- When do you need an oral surgery procedure?
- Be familiar with various oral surgery procedures
- 1. Dental implants
- 2. Wisdom teeth surgery
- 3. Orthognathic surgery
- 4. Cleft lip surgery
- 5. Tumor and cancer surgery
Oral surgery is a surgical procedure or surgery performed to improve various oral and dental health conditions that require special treatment. But broadly speaking, oral surgery also has the goal of improving conditions that affect the maxillofacial part, such as the jaw, neck and head.
Then, what are the conditions that require you to follow this procedure? What oral surgery procedures can be performed? For a more complete explanation, see the following review.
When do you need an oral surgery procedure?
Oral surgery procedures can be performed by a specialist oral surgeon who is a specialist level of a general dentist.
Quoted from American College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, an oral surgeon specializes in performing medical diagnosis and procedures to treat diseases, injuries and defects that occur in the head, neck, face, jaw and oral cavity.
Some of the conditions that require you to undergo oral surgery procedures include:
- Impacted wisdom teeth
- Tooth loss and jawbone fracture as a result of injury or accident
- Accidents and facial injuries
- Temporomandibular joint disorders (temporomandibular joint syndrome)
- Sleep disturbance (sleep apnea)
- Congenital or birth defects, such as cleft lip
- Difficulty biting and chewing, eg overbite, underbite, or crossbite
- Imbalance of face shape, both from the front and sides
- Oral cysts, tumors, or cancer
Be familiar with various oral surgery procedures
Dental implants and wisdom teeth surgery are the most commonly performed oral surgical procedures. But more than that, oral surgeons also deal with other problems related to the maxillofacial part.
The following are some of the scopes of medical procedures that can be performed by oral surgeons.
1. Dental implants
A dental implant is a procedure to place a titanium screw into the jaw to replace the root of a lost tooth and hold the replacement tooth so that it has a similar function and appearance to natural teeth.
This oral surgery procedure can be performed on the upper or lower jawbone using titanium or other materials that are safe for the human body. After a few months, this section will fuse with the jawbone.
Quoted from Mayo Clinic, dental implants may be a suitable alternative procedure if the surrounding root conditions do not allow for the placement of dentures or bridge tooth.
In addition, dental implants have advantages such as easier maintenance and use, as well as a lifetime of durability.
2. Wisdom teeth surgery
Wisdom teeth are the third most recent molars to grow and will begin to appear around the age of 17-24 years. Each person will have four wisdom teeth, consisting of two pairs on the upper jaw and two pairs on the lower jaw at the back of the mouth.
Unfortunately, wisdom teeth are sometimes imperfect, so they can grow sideways or get stuck in the gums. This condition can cause pain and is known as impacted teeth.
It is necessary to do wisdom teeth surgery to prevent complications from other dental and gum problems, such as infections, tooth abscesses, and gum disease.
Wisdom dental surgery begins with a doctor's diagnosis with dental X-rays, anesthesia, the surgical process and tooth extraction, to post-operative recovery.
3. Orthognathic surgery
Orthognathic surgery, also known as jaw surgery, is a procedure to correct asymmetrical structure of the jaw and straighten out messy teeth.
Jaw surgery is performed to treat medical problems, such as temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, facial injuries due to accidents, difficulty biting or chewing, to sleep problems (sleep apnea). In addition, this type of oral surgery is also sometimes performed for cosmetic reasons and to enhance appearance.
Various types of jaw surgery can be performed depending on the part being repaired, namely maxillary surgery (maxillary osteotomy), mandibular surgery (mandibular osteotomy), and chin surgery (genioplasty).
4. Cleft lip surgery
Cleft lip or cleft lip and palate is one of the birth defects in babies that can be caused by genetic factors or the lifestyle of the parents. Quoted from Stanford Health Care, cleft lip affects at least one in every 700 births.
Babies who have this condition should immediately undergo a cleft lip surgery procedure. This is recommended when the baby is 3-6 months old or less than 1 year old.
Cleft lip surgery aims to realign the cleft in the lips and palate so that it has a normal facial appearance and functions properly, especially for speaking.
5. Tumor and cancer surgery
Tumors and cancer can develop in the oral cavity, such as on the lips, inner cheeks, gums, roof of the mouth, tongue, salivary glands, to the throat.
Benign tumors (benign tumor) is characterized by the appearance of an abnormal lump in the mouth that generally does not cause pain or any symptoms.
While a malignant tumor (malignant tumor) or oral cancer is generally characterized by a sore in the mouth that doesn't heal, mouth pain, tooth loss, and difficulty swallowing food.
Patients need to undergo oral surgery to remove tumor and cancer tissue. In addition, if the tissue is cancerous, radiation therapy and chemotherapy are needed to kill cancer cells.
Other surgical methods also need to be performed to improve function and appearance, if other parts of the mouth and face are affected.
