Oral surgeons are dental specialists that perform undertake surgical procedures on the mouth and jaws. Oral surgeons are called upon to correct a cleft lip or cleft palette, perform dental implants and deal with jaw surgery. One of the most common procedures that oral surgeons in Wilmington NC are called upon to perform is to remove impacted wisdom teeth.
Impacted wisdom teeth:
Wisdom teeth are the last teeth to develop they are also known as “third molars.” In many cases there is insufficient space in the jaw for these teeth and they fail to emerge, there are also many times when they do emerge but they do so improperly. In either case they can become impacted, this results in swelling in the area as well as significant discomfort.
In addition to the pain and swelling, impacted wisdom teeth can also damage nearby teeth as well as the gums and jaw bone. Oral surgeons in Wilmington NC are called upon to surgically remove them.
Although it is usually wisdom teeth that have to be surgically removed, other teeth such as bicuspids or cuspids can become impacted thus creating the same set of problems that impacted wisdom teeth have.
Dealing with tooth loss:
Another common procedure that is dealt with by oral surgeons is the placing of tooth implants. Tooth implants are titanium studs that take the place of natural tooth roots; they are placed in the jaw by oral surgeons in Wilmington NC. Once the implant has become one with the jaw bone, a crown is placed on top. To successfully place tooth implants it is necessary for the patient to have enough bone to hold the implant. If the patient has suffered bone loss the oral surgeon can perform a bone transplant, taking bone from the patients jaw or implanting bone sourced from a bone bank. For more information visit Coastal Smiles Family Dentistry.
