Oral Surgery in Converse, TX
When you go to the dentist and are told that you need oral surgery, it is important to understand the nature of the surgery you receive to prepare yourself properly. The good news is that most oral surgeries are incredibly routine, and the relative risks of undergoing the surgery are minimal.
The other thing to know is that if your dentist recommends you to an oral surgeon near you, it is for a good reason, which will likely save you from oral health problems. If you need an emergency oral surgeon, it is probably because of an accident or injury, in which case the priority is keeping you alive and healthy. Most of the time, dentists want to do everything they can to preserve and protect your smile.
What is Oral Surgery Commonly Used For?
Anyone can need oral surgery, but certain surgeries are more common than others.
For example, a pediatric dental surgeon often performs procedures like repairing cleft lips, palates, and tongue ties. These issues are less common in the United States than in other countries, but they still do happen, and when they do, it is an oral surgeon who fixes the problem. The child is typically put to sleep for more extensive surgeries. Something like a tongue tie is fixed in just a few minutes and has virtually no recovery time, making it simple and nearly completely painless for the child.
Another common oral surgeon type is complex or surgical tooth extraction. A tooth surgeon or oral surgeon for wisdom tooth removal is the most frequent surgery that dental surgeons perform, with some data suggesting as many as 60% of patients need their wisdom teeth out.
Emergency surgery usually occurs when a patient has been injured, such as in an accident. This can involve different procedures such as repairing damage to the mouth, teeth reinsertions, and repairing damaged gums or the tongue. Some patients even need teeth removed from odd places, such as in the sinuses or reconstructive surgery.
Beyond necessary surgeries to fix teeth or mouth problems, some surgeries benefit patients for other reasons. One example of this is the surgery to correct TMJ or lockjaw. If symptoms of TMJ get too severe and other options do not provide relief, the dentist may decide to go in and surgically loosen the jaw muscles or reposition the jaw to fix the issue.
Lastly, we have oral surgery, which is part of restoring a person’s smile. When you have permanent appliances placed in your mouth, such as dental implants or a permanent bridge, this work requires the support of a surgeon to place the anchor points for the implants or bridge into the mouth to make the dental applications become permanent.
