At Foundation Dental Services we are fortunate to have an Oral Surgeon on staff.
An “Oral Surgeon” is a registered dental specialist that supports the general dentist with more complex tooth extractions and minor oral surgery procedures. Unlike a “Maxillofacial Surgeon” an Oral Surgeon will usually carry out ‘in-chair’ procedures (with light IV sedation if needed) - rather than a full general anaesthetic in a hospital setting.
Oral surgeons perform a wide range of procedures such as simple and complex dental extractions, surgical removal of wisdom teeth, exposure of buried (impacted) teeth, management of dental abscesses, removal of dental cysts, repair of dental and soft tissue trauma injuries, oral-sinus disease, apicectomy procedures, frenectomies, general ridge recontouring prior to complex crown and bridge work, and management of jaw joint (TMJ) problems. The specialist field of Oral Surgery also covers the treatment of oral lesions and diseases, including intraoral biopsies of white and red patches, tumours, infections and the early detection of oral cancers.
Dental implants can also be placed (or removed) with concurrent grafting.
Management of peri-mucositis and peri-implantitis also falls within the scope of an FDS Oral Surgeon.
IMPACTED TEETH
An impacted tooth is a tooth that fails to erupt / or grow into its normal position. The most commonly impacted teeth are wisdom teeth. Wisdom teeth are the last to develop and usually start to erupt between the ages of 18 and 24. An impacted tooth may cause pericoronitis, local or spreading infection, local gum problems, decay of the impacted tooth or decay of a neighboring tooth, dental cysts / tumors, and even tooth root resorption.
Impacted teeth need a minor surgical approach for their removal.
PERICORONITIS
Pericoronitis is local gum inflammation around an impacted or partially erupted tooth that can develop into local or spreading infection with serious complications such as malaise, general sepsis, airway obstruction, and even (in rare cases) - brain abscesses. If you are suffering from pericoronitis, you may experience pain, recurring swollen gums, bad taste, bad breath (halitosis), tenderness in the neck lymph nodes, fever, feel unwell, have facial swelling, and find it difficult to swallow or breathe
