Things You Should Always Do Before Oral Surgery

The teeth are organs of the mouth used for chewing food (biting, tearing, chewing, and grinding), aiding in the pronunciation of words and speech production, and supporting the face. All these parts of the face that support the teeth and the teeth themselves are under the area of specialty of a dentist in Salmon Arm, BC, in case something goes wrong with them. However, there are oral problems that conservative treatment methods and medications cannot treat. In such situations, you might need oral surgery. You can book an appointment with us at Montebello Dental Clinic for the best quality of care.

Oral surgery is a surgical specialty that focuses on reconstructing the face, the oral cavity, the head, neck, and jaws. An oral surgeon is a highly trained dental professional who usually has a dental degree and trains alongside medical personnel of different specialties. After an initial assessment, your family dentist can refer you to a dentist near Salmon Arm, BC, for oral surgery.

Types Of Oral Surgery

Different oral surgical procedures depend on which of your oral organs needs treatment. The most common types of oral surgery procedures include:

• Jaw-joint Issues Treatment: The temporomandibular joint connects your jaw is connected to your skull by the temporomandibular joint. However, this joint can become inflamed and irritated, leading to temporomandibular joint disorder, which causes headaches, stiffness, jaw pain, etc. When conservative treatment methods like physical therapy and medications fail, you might have to undergo joint surgery to treat TMJ.
• Tooth Implants: In situations whereby you lose a whole tooth, you need to get it replaced to avoid dental problems. Tooth implants serve as an efficient tooth root replacement option for your missing teeth. They are titanium-made fixtures that require a surgical procedure of drilling into the jawbone before being placed.
• Facial Reconstruction: Trauma from accidents might result in a broken jaw and facial bones. That might cause your face to lose its shape. However, a maxillofacial surgeon in Montebello Dental Clinic can help to restore your look through oral surgery.
• Impacted Wisdom Tooth: The wisdom teeth are the last molars to grow in the mouth. However, some of these teeth might not break out of the gumline. There may be insufficient space to grow. Since leaving these teeth in the gums is risky and can lead to many dental problems, surgery is needed to extract these teeth.
• Sleep Apnea Treatment: Sleep apnea is a severe sleep disorder in which one’s breathing stops and starts repeatedly. That is either caused by a blocked airway or central nervous system issues. Through surgery, dentists can treat your sleep apnea by removing what is blocking your airway, making the airway bigger, or removing the soft tissues of the oropharynx.
• Oral Cancer Treatment: Oral cancer is a cancer of the head, neck, salivary glands, lips, tongue, throat, or larynx. Dentists can treat this through surgery.
• Gum Graft: Gum disease can cause the gum to recede, thereby exposing tooth roots. However, a gum graft is a surgical procedure that involves carefully placing a small amount of new tissue in an area where little or no gum tissue currently exists to prevent gum recession.

Things You Should Always Do In Preparation For Oral Surgery

Knowing what to expect makes your oral surgery and recovery an easy one. The following are things you should do while preparing for oral surgery:

• Ask your dentist all you need to know about your oral surgery.
• Read and understand all the pre-operation instructions given to you by your dentist or oral surgeon.
• Ensure you have someone to drive you home from surgery in case of dizziness from anesthesia.
• Do not take any tobacco products for at least 12 hours before your surgery.
• Do not eat or drink before at least 8 hours before your surgery.
• Wear loosely fitted short-sleeved clothes for comfort and easy sedation.
• Get a good night’s rest a day before your appointment.
• Put your home in order before going for your appointment. Have medications and groceries at hand because you will need to rest after your surgery.