Oral Surgery
Our Middle Georgia Family Dentistry general and implant dentists provide oral surgery procedures at our Dublin dental office, including surgical tooth extractions, dental bone grafts, placement of dental implants and gum tissue grafts.
Surgical dental treatments are sometimes necessary to eliminate infection, remove growths or tumors, or to generate new growth of supportive jaw bone or gum tissue. Dental implants are used to provide foundational support for tooth replacement restorations, including implant crowns, bridges and implant-stabilized dentures.
Your Dental Surgery Exam & Consultation
Prior to any dental procedure, your Middle Georgia dentist will examine your teeth, gums and jaw joints and review necessary digital dental x-rays to assess your dental health and recommend services to restore your smile to proper health and bite function.
Middle Georgia Family Dentistry Oral Surgery Services
Common oral surgery procedures that our dentists provide include:
Tooth Extractions
If a tooth is decayed, abscessed or fractured and it is not possible to restore the tooth with a root canal and dental crown, our dentist may recommend removing the tooth.
- After getting the area numb with local dental anesthetic, the dentist will use dental instruments to extract the tooth; he may use a drill to section the tooth to make it easier to remove.
- You may feel pressure on the jaw as the tooth detaches from the socket.
- With the tooth out, the area is irrigated with sterile saline to make sure all of the tooth fragments have been removed.
- Sutures are placed if needed and a gauze compress is placed over the socket to stop bleeding and encourage clot formation.
If you and your dentist plan to restore the missing tooth with a dental implant, he may place a bone graft in the socket immediately after tooth extraction. The bone graft will help to stimulate the growth of replacement jaw bone to provide support for the implant. Implant placement is usually scheduled a few months after the initial extraction and bone graft to allow time for healing and bone regeneration.
Wisdom Teeth Extractions
Wisdom teeth, or third molars, are a set of four molars that may erupt behind second molars (one located in each corner of the mouth) during the teenage years. Based on genetics, most patients have four wisdom teeth, some people may have less, or none at all.
Because wisdom teeth are located so far in the back of the mouth, they are very difficult to keep clean, making them prone to tooth decay and periodontal infection. Partially erupted wisdom teeth have a flap of gum tissue over them that traps food particles and bacteria that will eventually cause tissue inflammation and swelling. Impacted wisdom teeth remain under the gums; they may be tipped sideways or rotated, making proper eruption impossible.
Depending on the location and health of wisdom teeth and the patient's ability to maintain them, wisdom teeth are frequently recommended for extraction to avoid the risk of decay and infection to other teeth.
Our dentists monitor development of third molars with current digital dental x-rays during your regular preventive care and dental examination visits. Your dentist may schedule wisdom tooth extraction surgery at our facility, or refer you to see an oral surgeon for evaluation and wisdom teeth removal.
Dental Bone Grafts
Bone grafts are used in dentistry to increase the volume and density of the jaw bone to:
- Support a dental implant
- Correct a void or defect in the jaw bone that affects oral health and smile appearance
- Increase bone levels around teeth in an area that has been impacted by periodontal disease
To place a bone graft, after the site is comfortably numb, the dentist will make a gum incision to access the treatment location in the underlying jaw bone. The bone graft (donor bone or synthetic material) is placed in the site and covered with a resorbable membrane to hold it in place.
The purpose of a dental bone graft is to serve as a framework to support new bone growth. As your body detects the graft, it works to repair the area by producing bone cells that will attach and grow around the graft. After a few months, a healthy graft site should have enough bone to support the existing teeth or a dental implant.
Sinus Lift
If you are researching dental implant replacement of an upper tooth, you may have encountered the term ‘sinus lift’.
A sinus lift is a type of bone grafting procedure that is necessary when there is not enough bone structure in the upper dental arch to properly support a dental implant. Our dentists will refer you to an oral surgeon or periodontist (gum specialist) for evaluation and treatment if a sinus lift is recommended.
As the term describes, during surgery, the dental surgeon accesses the upper jaw bone in the site planned for the implant and moves a small section of the bone to create a door-like opening into the sinus cavity. The bone grafting material is placed into the open space under the lifted bone and held in place with a membrane and sutures.
As the area heals, the treatment objective of the sinus lift procedure is to foster healthy bone growth and increase the height of the bone in the upper arch to retain the dental implant.
Gum Tissue Grafts
Gum tissue or soft tissue grafts are sometimes recommended to improve the health or appearance of the teeth and gums. If a tissue graft is recommended, our dentists will refer you to a gum specialist (periodontist) to coordinate your surgery with your preventive dental care, restorative procedures or cosmetic treatments.
A surgical gum graft procedure is accomplished by removing a small section of soft tissue from the roof of your mouth (or other location) and applying it over the area in need of tissue coverage. The graft is stitched in place and covered with a soft dressing material to protect it during healing.
After a few weeks of healing time and gentle post-surgical home care, the graft and the adjacent soft tissue grow together to form an expanded area of gum tissue to protect the teeth and bone, a process known as soft tissue regeneration.
There are many different types of gum grafts based on treatment goals. Common issues addressed by gum grafts and soft tissue regeneration procedures include:
- Gum recession around one or more teeth
- Loss of connective soft tissue support around teeth due to periodontal disease
- Soft tissue voids or defects that create oral health or smile appearance concerns
Gum Sculpting Procedures
In contrast to gum grafts that add gum tissue, some patients have a ‘gummy’ smile and seek treatment to reduce the amount of gum tissue that shows when they smile. The periodontist can consult with the patient to plan for modifying or ‘sculpting’ gum tissue to show more tooth structure and enhance smile appearance.
A combination of gum sculpting and tissue grafts may be used to correct an uneven gum line to compliment the appearance of cosmetic veneers and crowns.
Coordination with Dental Specialists
Our team of dentists refer their patients to dental specialists, including oral surgeons, endodontists (root canals), periodontists or orthodontists for services as needed to address specific oral health needs. Your dentist will work closely with you and the dental specialist to complete your treatment plan to restore health to your smile.
Sedation Dentistry
We know that feeling anxious or fearful about going to the dentist is not uncommon and stops many people from getting the dental care that they need.
Our dentists and team members understand that easing stress while you are at our dental office is as important as cleaning your teeth twice a year. We are committed to providing compassionate care and creating a warm, relaxing environment to make you feel completely comfortable every time you come to see us.
For patients that experience extreme dental fear, sedation dentistry may be used to alleviate anxiety during treatment. Our practice is equipped to provide dental sedation options for different needs:
Nitrous Oxide Sedation or ‘laughing gas’ has a mild, temporary relaxing effect. It is mixed with oxygen and breathed through a nasal mask that the patient wears during treatment. The effects of nitrous oxide sedation wear off almost immediately after the mask is removed.
Oral Conscious Sedation refers to a combination of oral medications that are taken the night before and the morning of dental treatment. The medications have a sedative effect, however, the patient is awake enough to walk and respond to basic instructions. Oral conscious sedation requires a companion to drive the patient to their appointment and stay with them while they are under the effects of sedation, including a few hours after their appointment.
IV Dental Sedation has a deeper, more relaxed effect on the patient. Dr. Trent Herring is licensed to provide IV dental sedation services in the State of Georgia. After you arrive for your surgery appointment, Dr. Herring will insert an IV into your arm and administer sedative medications. He and his assistant will monitor your blood pressure, pulse and oxygen levels throughout your procedure. You will feel very drowsy, but will be awake enough to move or speak. As with oral conscious sedation, you will require a driver and companion to stay with you until the effects of the sedation wear off.
Sedation dentistry may also be helpful for patients that are unable to hold their mouth open for extended periods or for individuals with a severe gag reflex. Patients that have longer restorative dentistry appointments sometimes elect to have dental sedation to help their jaw muscles relax while they are in the dental chair and reduce post-treatment discomfort.
Schedule Your Consultation for Dental Surgery
If you have questions about dental surgery or sedation dentistry, please Contact Middle Georgia Family Dentistry to get the information you need and make a plan for your dental health.