Unfortunately, dental diseases are not limited to caries. There are quite a few cases where oral surgery is required. This is the diagnosis and treatment of defects in the teeth, maxillofacial area, and adjacent tissues using surgical methods. Let’s take a closer look at the purpose and features of such treatment.
The Main Features of Surgery in Dentistry
Surgery is a rather complicated procedure that can only be performed by a dental surgeon. Specific skills are required to place an implant or remove a diseased tooth. It is important to remember that surgical dentistry is performed only in extreme cases, and a qualified specialist and a sterile environment are the keys to the quality of care provided.
The surgical intervention should be performed quickly enough for the treatment process to be most effective. Also, do not forget about postoperative discomfort. It can be significantly reduced by quality anesthesia, special modern instruments, and the doctor’s skill.
Surgical intervention is performed on both tissues and organs of the oral cavity. There may also be work on the maxillofacial area for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. In any case, such operations are intended either to prepare for orthopedic treatment or prosthetics or to treat pathological processes.
Reasons for Surgical Intervention in Dentistry
The main purpose of such operations is orthopedic. It is associated with restoring functionality and improving the patient’s appearance. But the reasons for surgical intervention can be as follows:
- Incorrectly positioned teeth;
- Damaged root;
- Significant damage to the teeth;
- Inflammatory process;
- The tooth bone has grown and affected the periodontium;
- Prosthetics;
- Broken root tooth.
A qualified dental surgeon performs quite a lot of actions, for example:
- root extraction;
- surgical interventions on the gums, bone tissue, or mucous membrane;
- treatment of periodontitis;
- plastic surgery on the alveolar bones and hard palate;
- treatment of cystic tumors;
- intervention in case of injuries to the maxillofacial area;
- preparation for orthopedic treatment.
What Are the Surgical Methods of Treatment in Dentistry?
Modern dentistry can offer quite a few dental procedures for patient treatment. The most popular are the following methods:
- Cystectomy. This is the name for the removal of a tooth bone.
- Hemisection is a procedure when an incision is made in the gum near the inflamed area. In this way, the damaged root is removed and the tooth is preserved.
- Sinus Lift. With this method, bone material is introduced, which is necessary for implant placement. It involves raising the maxillary sinus membrane and, accordingly, building up bone tissue in the mandibular sinus.
- Gingival plastic surgery. This operation is performed to increase the width of the gum membrane around the tooth.
- Recession closure means the procedure of surgical restoration of the apex of the tooth root, which could be exposed due to periodontitis.
- Augmentation. This method is also called osteoplasty. It consists in building up or restoring the bone tissue of the jaws with the help of osteoplastic materials or autografts.
Patients often tend to postpone surgery for later. This is a serious mistake that can lead to the development of disease, acute pain, and, of course, deterioration of the aesthetic condition of the teeth in the future. Even despite the cost of surgical dentistry, you should not put it off because diseases do not disappear on their own. If left untreated, the patient’s condition will only worsen.
