What is dental surgery?
Dentistry — besides caring for tooth enamel and gums, drilling, cleaning, and whitening — also includes surgery. It sounds serious, and indeed it is. Generally speaking, surgical procedures come into play when less invasive treatment methods fail. Dentistry surgery has two aspects: one is dental surgery itself, and the other is maxillofacial surgery. The first mainly deals with injuries to the teeth, treatment of the oral cavity, and surrounding areas. For larger bone defects in the facial skeleton, bone material is taken, for example, from the shinbone or skull cap. In such cases, when a bone graft is necessary or a significant section of the maxilla or mandible is damaged, a visit to a maxillofacial surgeon becomes essential.
When should we visit a dental surgeon?
In cases of tooth damage, such as from a strong impact or tooth fracture, when there is a need to remove (extract) the tooth because it cannot be treated or saved; this especially applies to more difficult teeth, such as wisdom teeth (third molars). Another common case is the removal of impacted teeth, meaning those that have not erupted properly and may cause misalignment of the bite; they can also affect the improper growth of other teeth. These procedures are among the most frequently performed in dental surgery, but the field is by no means limited to them.
Surgical assistance may also be necessary when an implant is to be placed after tooth removal, but there has been a loss of bone tissue. Bone loss can occur when the dentist has to remove, for example, infected tissue, which causes the bone to lose its natural shape and prevents proper implant placement. The procedure to rebuild this tissue is called augmentation. In cases of minor bone loss, synthetic materials can be used and placed in the deficient area.
If our tooth has chipped, for example due to decay, damage, or fracture, a dental surgeon can perform a procedure called crown lengthening. This treatment is important not only for aesthetic reasons. The dentist operates not only on bones and teeth but also on soft tissues.
Another situation for which you might see a dental surgeon is gum recession, a process that exposes the sensitive tooth root. In this case, the surgeon may choose from various treatment options, such as a tissue graft.
Other soft tissue procedures include frenectomy—the trimming of the labial frenulum—most commonly done in children to prevent complications like diastema (gap between front teeth), anatomical defects, or speech problems.
A visit to the dental surgeon is also necessary when abscesses form on the teeth or when a gum flap (often occurring during the eruption of wisdom teeth) appears.
All dental surgical procedures are performed in a dental office.
