| |
Implants and
Surgery
Wisdom Teeth Extraction
The average mouth is made to hold only 28 teeth. It can be painful
when 32 teeth try to fit in a mouth that holds only 28 teeth.
These four other teeth are your Third Molars, also known as "wisdom
teeth.". These are the most common dental extractions. Wisdom
teeth, or third molars, are the last to come in and the most frequent
cause of problems. Most often, they are trapped in the jawbone
or gums, and fail to come in at all. These impacted teeth can
cause many problems they may grow sideways, partially emerge from
the gum, or even remain trapped beneath the gum & bone. Partial
eruption can leave an opening around the tooth in which bacteria
can grow and eventually cause infection. The results include swelling,
stiffness, pain & illness. If these teeth are not removed,
they will continue to grow damaging adjacent teeth. Once your
teeth have been extracted we'll give you detailed follow-up instructions
to help the healing process and answer any questions you may have.
We also can extract all other teeth.
We recommend wisdom teeth pulling when:
The jaw isn't large enough to allow all the wisdom teeth to fully
erupt in an alignment that is useful for chewing and crushing
food.
Wisdom teeth only partially erupt. This allows an opening for
bacteria to enter around the tooth and cause an infection, which
results in pain, swelling, jaw stiffness, and general illness.
Partially erupted teeth are also more prone to tooth decay and
gum disease because their hard-to-reach location and awkward positioning
makes brushing and flossing difficult.
Poor alignment of wisdom teeth crowds or damages adjacent teeth,
the jawbone, or nerves. Wisdom teeth that lean toward the second
molars make those teeth more vulnerable to decay by entrapping
plaque and debris.
Cysts (fluid-filled sacs) form or to minimize their potential
for forming. Cysts destroy surrounding teeth, jawbone, and nerves.
If untreated, a tumor could develop from the walls of the cysts,
requiring a more complicated surgical procedure for removal.
What Medications Might be Needed During Extraction:
Before your wisdom tooth is extracted, the tooth and the surrounding
tissue will be numbed with a local anesthetic ?the same injection
with the same medication you receive to numb a tooth prior to
having a cavity filled. In addition to the local anesthetic to
numb the pain, you and your dentist or oral surgeon may decide
that a sedative ?in addition to the local anesthetic ?is desired
to control your anxiety. Sedating medications that could be selected
include: nitrous oxide (otherwise known as "laughing gas"),
an oral sedative (for example, Valium), or an intravenous sedative
(administered via an injection into your veins). If nitrous oxide
is given, you will be able to drive yourself home. If any of the
other medications is selected, you will need someone to drive
you both to and from the appointment in which your tooth will
be extracted.
Surgeries and Bone grafts - Over a period of time, the
jawbone associated with gum disease, as well as missing teeth,
dissolves or is reabsorbed. This often leaves a condition in which
there is poor quality and quantity of bone. In some situations
we now have the ability to grow bone where it has been lost around
teeth. It also gives us a chance to more effectively restore esthetic
appearance and functionality. New biologically active gels and
synthetic bone helps stimulate and enhance bone growth so that
we can help your body re-grow bone that is lost.
Laser Gum Contouring – This procedure is used when
the gums are not proportional or symmetrical. The gum line is
a very important part of a smile.
Implants - A dental implant is a manufactured post that is designed
to create a stable foundation for a natural looking tooth restoration.
Placed directly into the jawbone, a dental implant is the closest
thing to your natural tooth.There are two parts to a dental implant
which simulate the strong holding ability of the tooth root. The
main part of the dental implant is embedded in the jawbone for
an effect that is vastly stronger than dentures are capable of.
The second part of the dental implant is a post that protrudes
above the jawbone and gumline, to provide a fixed point to attach
the tooth restoration that will simulate the crown.To replace
one tooth, a single post is all that is required. For the replacement
of multiple teeth, it might be necessary to place several dental
implant posts.Your implant dentist will discuss your treatment
needs during your initial consultation.
Gingival gum grafting
Recession of gums caused by periodontal disease can be treated
with gingival membranes.
Gingival recession is an issue that is being treated with increasing
frequently. Considering the damage that occurs with recession,
this treatment is essential to stop the destruction and insure
that teeth are not lost as a result of: The loss of gingiva and
the loss of underlying bone
Exposure of the soft root surface, root abrasion, root wear/destruction
Sensitivity and greater tendency towards decay
Bonding exposed root surfaces does not treat or stop recession.
It merely attempts to temporarily cover the exposed areas. We
therefore need predictable methods to recover and protect exposed
roots. FDA approved dermal tissue can predictably accomplish this
The key is to treat early before any inter-proximal bone loss
occurs. The inter-proximal bone levels determine the height of
tissue. When bone levels drop we cannot regain lost tissue to
the level of the tooth to root junction.
|
|
