In dental care includes various specialties including oral surgeons. These are maxillofacial surgeons specializing in facial pains, dental implants, jaw disorders, and wisdom teeth extraction. Various situations can make you visit a dentist for surgical procedures. This is essential to give you a healthy oral appearance and a captivating facial look. Talking to your dentist is necessary to determine whether you need oral surgery.
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Dental issues managed by oral surgery
Sleep Apnea
This disorder results from the inability by the lungs to receive enough oxygen. It usually happens during sleep and results from complete or partial throat blockage. The condition might result from excess tissue in the throat and mouth among others.
Sleep apnea results in a lack of quality REM sleep and frequent waking up. You are likely to become depressed, have low energy, and fatigued in the morning. A visit to a dentist allows undergoing procedures to eliminate excess tissue blocking the airway. This will give you better and quality sleep.
Displaced jaw
Some people have overgrown jaws. Others have jaws that shift out of place resulting from poor tooth growth or other physical impacts. Jaw displacement causes difficult jaw movement backed by excruciating pain. This calls for surgery to save you the discomfort.
The dentist breaks the jaws to allow it to grow back in place. Additionally, the excess jawbone is shaved with bone from another body area with similar substance placed. This is the solution to appropriate jaw alignment and discomfort.
Impacted teeth
About 90 percent of people grow extra molars at the back of the mouth. This tooth inside the gums might erupt through to fit properly. However, some people experience discomfort as the extra molars attempt to fit where there’s no space for them.
You are likely to experience jaw displacement, extreme pain, and overbites. Fortunately, surgery by a professional dentist in Waterloo allows extracting these teeth. The procedure about an hour while recovery takes less but with some pain in the gums that takes days or weeks.
Temporomandibular disorders
This condition makes the jaw to click or pain. TMJ disorder results from grinding teeth and tightening the jaw during sleep. You can tell you have this condition when you have the following signs:
- Bruxism
- Arthritis
- Poor posture
- Stress or anxiety
- Orthodontic braces
- Teeth misalignment
- Trauma to teeth or jaw
- Excessive gum chewing
- Inflammatory musculoskeletal disorders
The very painful condition requires oral surgery to fix. A professional dentist might recommend remedies to remediate the condition but surgery is appropriate if it persists. Going for oral surgery allows repairing TMJ related issues in the mouth to make you feel and look better.
Fixing implants
Tooth loss requires replacement to restore your smile. Although dentures are a wonderful solution, implants are more appropriate in case of multiple teeth loss. A professional dentist determines whether implants are a better solution.
Dental implants replace the tooth root and require surgery to place them into your jawbone. The anchor stabilizes the attached artificial tooth in the jaw. Getting the most from dental implants requires having adequate bone density and level.
Good oral hygiene is necessary to maintain your implants and to limit the chances of infection. A professional dentist fixes implants, reconstructs bone, and adjusts tissue structure before placing dental implants. This allows getting good results with the implant looking like your natural teeth.
Extraction complications
Situations including pain, cavities, and damage require teeth extraction. A dentist can successfully carry out tooth extraction. However, this procedure is prone to mishaps. A tooth with complex roots or cracks might require surgery to complete the process. Undergoing surgery is a wonderful solution to minimize discomfort and lessen the chances of further complications.
Expectations of oral surgery
Pain
Expect some pain after oral surgery. This is normal after the anaesthetic wears off. The pain is a bit higher in the first post-surgery 48 hours. Afterward, the discomfort will subside. Other people might experience lingering pain for 3 to 5 days.
Your dentist will prescribe some pain-relieving medication to lessen the discomfort. Stick to instructions from the doctor and avoid alcohol. Keep in mind that narcotic medication might make you feel drowsy. So, avoid driving and operating heavy machinery.
Bleeding
There is usually some bleeding after oral surgery as well. This happens for a few hours including oozing for about 24 hours. Keep in mind that as blood mixes with saliva in your mouth, you might get a feeling of intense bleeding that you actually are. Your dentist might recommend a firm gauze press to prevent bleeding after 4 hours.
Swelling
Another post oral surgery effect is facial swelling. This is normal and might remain for about a week. You might notice bruises as the swelling goes down and might last for 10 days. Apply a cold compression on the first day after surgery to manage the swelling. To enhance circulation and flow of blood, apply a warm compress on the second day to lessen the swelling.
Wrapping up
Oral health is essential for general health and overall wellbeing. Visiting a dentist is necessary to fix any issues affecting your teeth. Some including sleep apnea, displaced jaw, and impacted jaw require oral surgery.