ORAL SURGERY
Dental Extractions / Tooth Extractions
Dental extractions can be a normal part of dental treatments and can be done on an outpatient basis. Read below to learn how your dental professional knows which teeth to target and determines the best plan of action.
Common Reasons for Tooth Extractions
Dental extractions are very common and may not indicate poor oral health. Here are some of the most common reasons a dentist advises tooth extractions:
Braces: To make room for important, yet misaligned teeth, your braces treatment may call for the removal of one or a few teeth.
Wisdom Teeth: Many dental patients don’t have enough space for wisdom teeth and must have them removed to preserve dental health.
Infection: Through gum disease or cavities, infections or decay can occur that calls for the removal of problem teeth.
Methods for Dental Extractions
Simple Extraction: This option is possible for teeth that can be seen and aren’t below the gum line. Your dental professional loosens the target teeth and uses forceps to complete the extraction.
Surgical Extraction: If the tooth is below the gum line or has curved roots, your dental professional will make a small incision and remove the target tooth.
Socket/ Alveolar Ridge Preservation
Losing a tooth is about more than the aesthetic consequences – without the natural tooth and root to hold the jaw bone in place, your smile may shift over time and change your face’s shape significantly. In order to prevent the bone loss and to keep the natural contour of the jaw and gums, your periodontist may use a technique called ridge preservation.
Losing a tooth is about more than the aesthetic consequences – without the natural tooth and root to hold the jaw bone in place, your smile may shift over time and change your face’s shape significantly. In order to prevent the bone loss and to keep the natural contour of the jaw and gums, your periodontist may use a technique called ridge preservation.
The procedure is completed in the following steps:
The tooth is removed with state of the art technology and tools in order to preserve as much bone as possible.
A bone graft is added to the empty socket – your doctor may also add growth factors depending on the severity of your situation.
Down the line, dental implants can be placed in the ridge that is preserved and protected from shifting and decay over time.
When a tooth is removed, you may not be thinking down the line to the point that you want to have it replaced, but doing so is absolutely crucial to preserving your smile and jawline. Here at Miramichi Smiles, we keep the process as simple and painless as possible in order to ensure that you heal quickly. We carefully remove excess bone and take measures to preserve the existing bone to keep your mouth as naturally healthy as possible.
Soft Tissue Biopsy
Regular visits to the dentist can do more than just protect your teeth and keep your smile bright. Often when you come in for an examination, your dentist is looking for any abnormalities with the facial or oral anatomy to head off any disease before they cause problems for your body. Your exam may include the tongue, the gums, the lips and the soft and hard palate. The exam may also continue to the outside of the mouth and the glands and muscles of the neck, the skin and the temporomandibular joint. Many times, disease and problems manifest in the mouth, and a thorough dental exam can be an easy way to head them off before they get out of control.
One of the most significant diseases that can be found during an oral exam is oral cancer. Early detection can greatly improve the survival rates, and regular exams by a dental professional ensure that treatment can start immediately. Many growths in the mouth are benign, but those that are not should be treated quickly. Other oral diseases to watch for include:
Lichen Planus – discomfort caused by an inflammatory disease.
Leukoplakia – typically, these lesions are benign, but are often precancerous and should be removed and a soft tissue biopsy performed. Leukoplakia causes white patches throughout the mouth.
Fibroma – formed in the lining of the mouth, fibroma feels like a lump caused by a thickened mass.
Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid – oral lesions caused by an autoimmune disorder, this condition is not life-threatening.
Disease like diabetes, heart disease or Crohn’s disease may also manifest in the mouth. At every exam, your mouth is examined for the symptoms of these diseases in order to keep your entire body healthy.
The Necessity for a Biopsy
If a spot, lump or lesion is believed to be problematic, it may be removed and sent to the labs for examination. Our dentists believe that any lump or mass that may be per-cancerous or cancerous should be removed and examined immediately. The procedure can be done in-office if the mass is small, or in a hospital setting for more serious cases. Most often, only local aesthetic is required, and lesions are closed with stitches that dissolve over time.
