Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

Almost every person who is missing one or more teeth and is in good general health is a candidate for dental implant treatment.

Working together with your primary care physician, we can optimize treatment for patients with diseases such as diabetes so that they are candidates for dental implants.

The quality and quantity of available bone is an important factor in dental implant treatment.

Oral Maxillofacial surgeons can, even with significant bone loss, perform extraordinary procedures that add bone or create new bone allow people who would not otherwise have been candidates for dental implants to have successful implant treatment.

Dental implants are quite superior, for several reasons, to alternative methods for tooth replacement. First, dental implants preserve both the underlying bone and the actual structure of your face.

Second, they also look, feel and function like natural teeth; so, they can improve both your nutrition and your digestion as opposed to alternative methods. Third, dental implants restore your mouth as closely as possible to its natural state; therefor, you don’t have to worry about them coming loose or falling out.

Your self-esteem and self-confidence can be maintained or enhanced by the comfort and natural appearance of dental implants. Additionally, one of the most important reasons to consider dental implants is that they provide a strong foundation for your teeth. A dental implant replaces the part of your tooth that is visible in your mouth, the crown of a tooth; however, dental implants also replace natural tooth roots where teeth are missing.

Replacing the tooth root as well as the visible part of the tooth is vital because natural tooth roots are embedded in bone. This provides the stable foundation necessary to bite and chew normally. There is a give-give relationship because at the same time as the bone holds tooth roots in place, the roots preserve the bone. Missing teeth and roots cause deterioration in the bone that supported those teeth and roots.

This deterioration process is called bone resorption. Dental implants preserve the underlying bone because the bone forms a very strong bond to the implants; so, they serve virtually the same function as natural tooth roots.

A strong foundation for biting, chewing, speaking, and appearance is the result.

If you have dentures or a partial already, you may be concerned that your bone has deteriorated – making it too late to consider dental implants. The good news is that technology now makes it possible to grow new bone or add bone to areas where the bone has melted away.

The placement of dental implants can then be accomplished. Bone grafting procedures allow dental specialists to repair defects in the bone and even further, to place implants to improve appearance. Oral Maxillofacial surgeons can also use bone grafting techniques to make it possible for people with significant bone loss to have implants, thereby restoring function and integrity of facial structures. Sometimes it is even possible to graft bone and place implants at the same time; however, each person’s situation is unique.

Unfortunately everyone is a candidate for bone grafting. If you wear dentures or a partial, you will do yourself a favor by talking to talk to a qualified, experienced surgeon. Determining whether you qualify for bone grafting and dental implant treatment can be a very big step in your life.

Wisdom teeth, sometimes referred to as third molars, can cause serious problems such as crowding and shifting other teeth, changing your bite, and contributing to loss of jawbone tissue.

Wisdom teeth that are only partly erupted often trap food, causing decay and gum disease. Swelling and jaw pain are some of the most common early symptoms.

The longer your wisdom teeth remain in your mouth, the more likely they are to cause harm, and the more difficult they are to remove. Because wisdom teeth erupt at different rates, a lot of damage can be done before you even begin to notice symptoms.

We recommend calling us at the first sign of symptoms.

The bone in the front of your mouth is extremely thin. So, losing a front tooth usually makes the bone melt away rather quickly. This will cause the bone and gums to cave in; and, the defect that is visible when smiling tends to make people self-conscious about their appearance.

When front teeth are replaced by a traditional bridge, the teeth on either side should look natural. But, as time goes by, the gums and bone above the false tooth collapse and leave the false tooth hanging and looking fake. As the bone deteriorates above the bridge, a visible gap often appears between the gums and the bridge.

This problem is more obvious when more than one tooth is lost in the front of the mouth.

Most people are not aware of the relationship between their teeth and the bone that supports them, so they don’t realize the impact tooth loss is having on their facial appearance. The teeth as well as the upper and lower jaws provide structural support for facial contours. Any change tooth loss causes in any of the underlying structures will impact facial features. Whenever one or more teeth are missing, the bone that previously supported the tooth or teeth begins to deteriorate or resorb. This is known as bone resorption and is very similar to muscle atrophy from lack of use. Missing teeth commonly result in dramatic changes to facial appearance, including an increased number of wrinkles around the mouth and lips that cave in and lose their shape. In more severe cases, complete tooth loss can result in unsightly total collapse of the facial structures. When all of the teeth are missing, the jaws also tend to deteriorate rapidly.

As the bone melts away, the muscles are affected and pull back from their original position. Wrinkles can increase dramatically as the facial structures collapse; and, the appearance of the cheeks becomes distorted. Severe bone deterioration results in what is sometimes called “the witch’s beak,” where the nose points downward and the chin points upward as a result of lost jaw height.

The process spreads as the lips cave in as they lose their support, giving the mouth a flattened look. Premature aging that occurs as the bone continues to melt away is and further accentuated.

Jaw reconstruction, or orthognathic surgery, involves reshaping a patient’s face to correct facial or jaw abnormalities. During this specialty surgery, the doctor changes the position of the jaw to improve its function (chewing and speaking) and appearance. We often perform jaw reconstruction surgery in conjunction with orthodontic treatment.