At some point in your life, your Elmhurst, NY, dentists, Dr. Binod Verma and Dr. Supriya Verma of Family Dental Rego Park may recommend oral surgery to treat an oral health issue. Oral surgery may be needed to:
Place a Dental Implant
Dental implants replace the roots of missing teeth. They're connected to dental crowns to completely restore lost teeth. The first step in the dental implant process involves minor oral surgery to add the implants to your jawbone. After numbing your mouth with a local anesthetic, your dentist makes small openings in your jawbone and adds the implants. Over the course of the next three to six months, the implants bond to your jawbone.
Remove Impacted Wisdom Teeth
Many people don't have enough room in their mouths for wisdom teeth. When these teeth try to erupt, they're blocked, or impacted, by gum tissue or bone. If this occurs, you'll need oral surgery to remove the teeth. During checkups at the Elmhurst dental office, your dentist can help you decide if it's time to remove your wisdom teeth.
Deepen Your Jawbone Before You Receive an Implant
If your jawbone isn't deep enough to support a dental implant, a bone graft can be helpful. During oral surgery, your dentist adds bone granules, putty, or powder to the bone, which triggers the formation of new bone.
Remove a Tumor
Tumors or growths can affect any part of your body, including your mouth and jaw. During oral surgery, your dentist removes the growths and sends them to a laboratory for testing. Fortunately, most tumors aren't cancerous.
Improve Denture Comfort
Removable dentures may eventually cause changes to your gum tissue and the bone that supports it. Depending on your condition, jaw realignment, soft tissue manipulation, or bone grafts to restore lost bone may be needed.
Change the Alignment of Your Jaw
Although orthodontic treatment is very helpful in straightening crooked teeth, oral surgery may be needed if your jaw is severely misaligned. Jaw misalignments can cause bite problems, tooth damage, headaches, speech issues, chewing problems, or temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD).
Not sure if oral surgery could help your oral health? Call your dentists in Elmhurst, NY, Dr. Binod Verma and Dr. Supriya Verma of Family Dental Rego Park, at (718) 699-8268 to schedule your appointment.