Patients who are suffering from certain dental conditions may be referred, by their regular dentist, to an oral surgeon. An oral surgeon is a dentist who has further extensive training in operating procedures and anaesthetics. They perform surgery that is either too complicated or too specialised to be carried out in a normal dental surgery.
Oral surgery is often necessary to remove wisdom teeth, otherwise known as third molars, which can emerge form below the gum line when there is no space for them to grow into. This can result in alterations to existing teeth alignment causing impaction. This can lead to painful swelling, irritation and infection of the gum tissue that surrounds the wisdom teeth. In some circumstances, wisdom teeth can lead to the formations of cysts or tumours, which can destroy sections of the teeth and jaw. For this reason, misaligned wisdom teeth need to be removed by an oral surgeon before any of these problems occur.
Patients requiring dental implants may also need to see an oral surgeon. A dental implant is an alternative to a dental bridge or dentures. The actual implant is a cylindrical screw that is implanted into the jawbone, to which is attached a post and crown. Dental implants are only carried out on patients who have the correct level of bone density and high levels of oral hygiene.
Surgery will also be carried out on patients with a variety of jaw joint complaints, such as TMJ and unequal jaw growth, and patients suffering from sleep apnea. Oral surgery is also a very important part of facial reconstruction for patients who have suffered severe facial trauma. A City of Leeds dentist may need to refer you to an oral surgeon if you are suffering from one of the above complaints. Oral surgeons are extremely skilled and highly trained in anaesthetics to make your surgery experience as pleasant as it can be.
Smiling is one of the most important communication methods we have. More important than any other physical or verbal gesture in making others feel comfortable and welcome. It is also fundamental in forming romantic, platonic and professional relationships. For people who are ashamed of their teeth smiling can be repressed for fear of being embarrassed. Everyone dreams of having the perfect beaming smile with straight white teeth and for those who fall short of this ideal it can be a source of great anxiety.
Until the advent of composite resin fillings, or white fillings as they are more commonly known, patients had little choice but to have unseemly amalgam fillings. These amalgam fillings, invented in France in the early 1800s, had been widely used around the world to fill dental cavities. Made form an alloy of silver and mercury, these amalgam fillings, while very strong, were very noticeable in the mouth. They also expanded over time causing further damage to teeth and were notoriously difficult to fit, with dentists often having to inflict unnecessary damage on teeth to fix them. More concerning is the controversy that surrounds amalgam fillings with regards poisonous and dangerous mercury vapours that are released into the body when placed and during eating. Although this has never been resolutely confirmed it is enough of a concern to many patients to want to have them replaced.