When you have complex issues with your smile, such as impacted wisdom teeth or issues with jaw balance, then you need oral surgery to improve bite function and oral health, as well as the beauty of your smile. In today’s blog, your Santa Rosa, CA, oral and maxillofacial surgeons talk about the oral surgical procedures we offer to provide your best smile, and how we conduct them in a way that ensures your comfort the entire time!
Starting with an Initial Consultation
Your oral surgery starts with an initial exam, during which we will talk to you about your concern, and then conduct a detailed examination with advanced digital x-ray and CBCT imaging technology. These systems use a fraction of the radiation and provide high-definition images chairside, so we can walk you through your diagnosis and plan your treatment with greater precision and accuracy.
Anesthesia and Sedation
Our team knows the idea of oral surgery can be difficult for some people, especially if they have anxiety about the dentist. To ensure your comfort, we can offer a local anesthesia to numb the areas being treated directly. We also have sedation, choosing between nitrous oxide, oral conscious, and IV sedation, to help you enter a calm and relaxed state. We base the option we choose on a number of different factors, so we can help patients of all ages, from kids to seniors, remain comfortable and relaxed during their procedure, so their oral surgery is a positive experience.
Removing Wisdom Teeth
For teens and adults, we could remove wisdom teeth from the smile, preferably before they even erupt. Doing so helps prevent impaction, misalignment, infection, and other complications related to the arrival of the wisdom teeth. The procedure could take as little as 30 minutes, and help safeguard the health, function, and beauty of your smile. We can then provide detailed instructions as the area heals, and you can return to your normal routine in as little as 24 to 48 hours on average.
Bracketing Impacted Teeth
When a tooth is impacted, either due to baby teeth failing to fall out on time or issues with the eruption of the permanent ones, this could lead to partial eruption known as an impaction. Often, this could complicate your orthodontic treatment. We will work alongside your orthodontist, so we can reposition these teeth. Our team connects a bracket to the tooth and another to a nearby one. We connect the brackets with a chain, and adjust tension in the chain to gently shift the tooth into proper position, so you can then continue your orthodontic treatment and straighten your smile.
Grafting and Sinus Lift
When you lose several natural teeth, your jawbone could shrink and lose mass and density with time. This means a risk of additional tooth loss and an older appearance, but also the ability to support dental implants, limiting your tooth replacement options. However, our team could use grafting to strengthen the lower jaw, applying synthetic structure or bone tissue taken from other parts of your smile. For the upper jaw, we could raise the sinus floor to uncover new structure that can support your dental implants. You can then receive durable and long-lasting replacement teeth, whether you have one missing tooth or all of them have been lost! We insert dental implants into the jaw, where they act as new roots. In some cases, our team can insert these posts and attach a denture in the same visit, so you leave with a complete smile.
Orthognathic Surgery
Jaw surgery, or orthognathic surgery, can address damage to your smile or issues with the growth and development that lead to an uneven smile and poor bite balance, complicating your daily life and overall appearance. With jaw surgery, we can move the jaw in or out, up or down, as needed to improve overall function and beauty. We rebuild your smile! We can also do this to address facial trauma too, and we have experience as part of the Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital’s Trauma Team.
If you have any questions about oral surgery, or about any of these procedures in particular, then we hope you will reach out to our team for treatment. We’re ready to help you smile with confidence again and enjoy good oral health.
Learn More About Oral Surgery in Santa Rosa, CA
Our team can take on the complex issues that threaten smile stability with oral surgery, so you enjoy better bite function and a more attractive smile. We can even improve your facial structure as well! To learn more about our approach to oral surgery, give us a call at Santa Rosa Oral Surgery at (707)545-4625 today!
