The specialty of oral surgery, which is a branch of dentistry, covers a wide range of oral treatments. What ailments are treated? What procedures to cure a condition in the mouth does it cover?
What is oral surgery?
Mainly, this type of surgery deals with the surgical procedures in the oral area. Oral surgery encompasses the field of dentistry. Predominantly, this type of surgery deals with the surgical interventions in the oral region. It also treats fractures and dislocations in the oral region. The treatment also includes sufficient diagnostics, which is performed by a specialist. After successfully completing a degree in dentistry, a four-year continuing education program can be completed. After passing the specialist dental examination at the relevant state medical association, the student bears the title of specialist in oral surgery.
Treatments and therapies
The fields of oral surgery include not only the extraction of teeth, but also the removal of wisdom teeth, cysts, tumors and abscesses. Most commonly, teeth are removed that are affected by decay or need to be operated out due to lack of space. This mainly concerns wisdom teeth. They can displace other teeth. Since they are often already destroyed by caries, wisdom teeth are not worth preserving. The gums in the surrounding mouth area can become very inflamed again and again. To avoid this, wisdom teeth are removed under local anesthesia, and rarely under general anesthesia. If teeth lie in the jaw and cannot break through the gums, they are called impacted teeth. These are removed with the help of a surgical procedure. Retained teeth do not cause pain afterwards. Surgical intervention is necessary when cysts form in the oral cavity. Basically, cysts are round cavities filled with fluid that form in the bone or soft tissue. Cysts often grow very quickly and thus displace teeth, for example. The majority of cysts are benign. Removal is only possible surgically. Cysts are formed, for example, by dead teeth caused by caries. Inflammations or cysts form at the tips of the roots, which must be removed. To preserve the tooth, it is sealed with a root filling. Another task of the oral surgeon is the removal of mostly benign tumors of the oral cavity. These tumors grow mainly on and under the tongue, in the area of the lips, cheeks or on the palate. On the gums, the formation is rather rare, but still possible. If the roots of the teeth or the gum pockets become inflamed, pus-filled swellings form on the jaw, face and neck. Surgical treatment is necessary in this case. Further treatment with antibiotics is recommended for an optimal healing process. Oral surgery is also used in traumatology. Accidents cause bone fractures in the jaw and facial area, or tooth fractures. Here teeth are implanted after severe accidents. Dental implantology is a modern method in dentistry in which teeth are implanted into the jaw. If the patient has complaints in the area of the salivary gland, an oral surgeon is consulted. After diagnosing salivary gland stones, for example, the surgeon develops a suitable therapy to reduce them. If maxillary sinus disorders, which include cysts chronic inflammation and foreign bodies, are detected during diagnostics, the oral surgeon treats the patient. However, the cause must be in the dental area. As patients age, it is common for them to have dentures placed. Since the jaw is often in a poor general condition, surgical measures, individually adapted to the person, must be taken before the denture is made. Excess mucosa is removed, the oral vestibule is prepared for the prosthesis and disturbing ligament attachments are surgically removed. This is done under local anesthesia.
Diagnosis and examination methods
If severe pain or swelling occurs in the jaw and mouth area, a doctor should be consulted. The discomfort occurs at intervals and becomes more severe depending on the condition. Bacteria found in the oral cavity during inflammation can spread throughout the body and also cause damage to joints or the heart.Procedures in the face or oral cavity are always associated with a certain risk. Therefore, a precise diagnosis is absolutely necessary. Only in this way is it possible to treat the complaints and perform interventions of the highest standard. In the most common cases, a specialist examination is sufficient to ensure safe treatment. However, in order to obtain sufficient information about the disease, an X-ray examination and a model examination (three-dimensional representation of the affected area) are ordered. If a particularly high-resolution image is needed, a computed tomography scan is performed. A digital volume tomography (DVT) shows the anatomical structures down to the smallest detail and displays them spatially. This allows the surgeon to see the bony structure of the upper and lower jaw exactly and to quickly identify any special features. If an intervention is necessary, an optimal pain treatment is discussed with the oral surgeon. Only individual teeth can be anesthetized with the help of a gel, or a short-term general anesthetic is also possible for longer, complicated procedures. In order to prevent diseases in the oral area, it is recommended to visit the dentist regularly already in childhood. Through the early detection examination it can be pointed out at an early age that regular dental care and oral hygiene is valuable. Later there is the possibility of prophylaxis. In this way, costly dental corrections can be avoided and the patient can enjoy his or her own healthy teeth for longer. It is considered indispensable before periodontal treatments or surgical procedures.