Oral Surgery

What is Oral Surgery?

Oral Surgery refers to any surgical procedure to teeth, gums, jaws and associated oral structures.

Why consult with an Oral Surgeon?

Some common reasons where consultation with an Oral Surgeon is advisable include:

Extraction of teeth and retained roots –exposed pieces of teeth remain inside the mouth, even when asymptomatic, they may act as a dangerous potential source of infection and advisably should be removed prior to experiencing inflammation or complications.

Management of impacted / unerupted teeth – sometimes teeth remain trapped or impacted inside the bone. While this is not always a problem, it may still be advisable to have such teeth extracted where there are asymptomatic issues including resorption of surrounding teeth or bone, appearance of inflammation, cystic lesions and / or space / crowding.

Salivary gland surgery – the major salivary glands can become swollen and painful for many reasons and require surgery. Symptoms may include the build-up of salivary stones (sialoliths), infection with bacteria (sialadenitis) or viruses (such as mumps). Growths, benign and malignant, may also develop within salivary glands.

Oral Medicine – this branch of dentistry deals with conditions affecting mouth and peri-oral soft tissue (including the oral mucosa and lips). It focuses on chronic recurrent and medically related disorders of the mouth, their diagnosis and non-surgical management.