Dental Extractions/Oral Surgery
Tooth Extractions are generally fairly straightforward, and are most commonly performed while you are awake using local anesthesia, commonly known as Novocain. If dental phobia is a problem for you, other types of anesthesia can be used to make the procedure more comfortable and cause less anxiety for you.
Following the removal of the tooth, a bite pack of gauze is placed to apply pressure to the socket of your tooth and stop the bleeding. The gauze should be replaced for the first few hours, until bleeding has subsided. Dr. Mattison will likely recommend that you not touch the extraction area with your finger or tongue, and that you avoid vigorous rinsing of the mouth. Sucking through a straw is to be eliminated for twenty-four hours or more, as it can restart bleeding. Smoking should also be avoided because it impairs the healing of the wound and could cause dry socket. Rinsing your mouth carefully with salt water should be done after about twenty-four hours following the extraction.
Certain conditions may require oral surgery rather than simple extraction. These situations require the services of an oral surgeon and include the removal of wisdom teeth which have become impacted, or trapped between the jawbone and gums. This occurs frequently in teenagers, but can also occur later in life. Wisdom teeth removal is one of the most common oral surgery procedures. Impacted wisdom teeth are generally accompanied by pain and swelling and sometimes infection of gum tissue surrounding the teeth. If they are not removed, they can cause permanent damage to your nearby teeth, bone and gums or even the formation of cysts or tumors. These tumors can destroy sections of your jaw. Your wisdom teeth are not the only ones that can become impacted. The bicuspids and cuspids can also at times become impacted and carry with them the same problems as impacted wisdom teeth.
Oral surgery may also be used to repair facial injuries such as fractured jaws or broken facial bones. If you or someone you know has had a child born with cleft lip and/or cleft palate, (which occurs when the mouth and nasal cavity fail to grow together properly,) oral surgery will be required to repair the gap in the lip or the opening in the roof of the mouth. This type of oral surgery is generally performed through a series of treatments and procedures over many years.