Common Oral Surgeries
Preventive dental services can help you maintain your oral health. However, when a problem arises with your teeth or gums, a restorative application may be necessary.
Some treatments do not involve invasive procedures. However, others require surgical applications.
Here are a few types of oral surgery that are commonly performed.
Root Canal Therapy
Root canal therapy is used to save a tooth that would otherwise be extracted due to chronic dental sensitivity or dead pulp. Minor dental sensitivity can often be treated with desensitizing agents to lessen the tooth's discomfort until the condition resolves. However, in some cases, the sensitivity becomes chronic and extreme, causing the patient ongoing discomfort.
The sensitivity is often due to nerve inflammation. When the inflammation causes irreparable damage to the dental nerves, the sensitivity does not resolve on its own.
The dental nerves reside in the center layer of a tooth, which is called the pulp. To correct the sensitivity, the surgeon can remove the pulp and fill the tooth. Once the nerves are extracted, the patient's discomfort is eliminated.
The dental surgeon may also perform root canal therapy if the pulp of the tooth has died due to an infection or a blow to the mouth.
Wisdom Tooth Extraction
The wisdom teeth, which are the molars located at the very back of the mouth, frequently require extraction. Since the wisdom teeth are the last to erupt, there may be too little room in the oral cavity to accommodate them, causing the emerging teeth to place pressure on neighboring teeth. Additionally, the wisdom teeth may decay easier because they are difficult to reach for proper cleaning
If a wisdom tooth is unerupted or only partially erupted, the tooth must be surgically removed. The surgeon reviews the x-rays of the mouth prior to the extraction to determine the exact placement and configuration of the teeth before their removal.
Tongue-tie Frenectomy
An oral surgeon can also perform a tongue-tie frenectomy to free the tongue of an infant when the lingual organ is connected too closely to the floor of the mouth. The surgery is not complicated and does even require anesthesia. The surgeon simply snips the connecting tissue beneath the tongue to allow the tongue to move more freely.
After the procedure, the baby may be better able to feed properly. Additionally, speech development may not be hindered by the tongue-tie condition.
To learn more about oral surgeries, schedule a consultation with an oral surgeon in your local area.
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