What are the most common oral surgeries?

The term oral surgery refers to any surgical treatment applied to both soft and hard tissues within the jaw, gums, teeth or facial structure.

Encompassing everything from removing impacted teeth to cosmetic enhancements, oral surgery covers a broad range of procedures.

Here are some of the most common oral surgeries.

Tooth extraction

Tooth extraction is the most common oral surgery. There are several scenarios where a dentist will choose to refer a patient to an oral surgeon for tooth extraction. These include:

• Teeth are fully or partially impacted below the gum line
• Extractions are performed in preparation for placing dental implants
• Dental trauma
• Multiple teeth must be removed to install a prosthetic device

Dental implants

Dental implant surgery is a procedure that replaces the roots of missing teeth with titanium posts installed into the jawbone. Implants are considered the best long-term solution for restoring missing teeth, a crown attached to a dental implant offers the same support and biting power as a natural tooth. Dental implants can be installed individually to replace single teeth or used together to support a bridge of three or more teeth. With All-on-4, just four dental implants can support an entire upper or lower arch of new teeth.

Bone grafting

Some patients come to an oral surgeon to get help restoring their smile after many years of missing one or more teeth. Some of these patients need treatment for jawbone loss at the affected areas before they are strong candidates for dental implants. Bone grafting is an oral surgery that restores jawbone density and volume to prepare for dental implant placement.

Periodontal surgery

Periodontal surgery may be required to repair periodontitis. The procedure involves making incisions along the gum line to temporarily pull the tissues away from your teeth for a deep cleaning to remove bacteria and plaque that has formed behind the gums. Once teeth have been fully cleaned, gum tissue is repositioned and stitched into place for healing.

Corrective jaw surgery

Corrective jaw surgery includes a family of treatments aimed at addressing anomalies in the jawbone. Common concerns include misalignment, facial imbalance, overbite or underbite, issues with chewing, speaking or other jaw functionality, or compromised facial appearance.