Oral Surgeon on Staff

An oral surgeon is a dentist who has specialty training in the area of oral & maxillofacial (i.e. having to do with the jaw & facial structures) surgery. In addition to their dental degrees (DDS or DMD), oral surgeons complete an extra four years or more of specific oral surgery training. This training includes a residency in a hospital setting in which the dentists train alongside medical residents in the areas of surgery, general anesthesia, plastic surgery & more. Despite the seriousness of the title, most oral surgery procedures are relatively minor compared to medical surgery.

An oral surgeon may be involved in your dental care in several situations:

Tooth Removal, Especially Wisdom Teeth

Most patients’ first encounter with an oral surgeon occurs if they have impacted or partially erupted wisdom teeth. When wisdom teeth come in incorrectly or don’t come in all the way, your dentist will often recommend having the teeth extracted by an oral surgeon.

Teeth may need to be removed by an oral surgeon due to damage, whether from trauma caused by an accident or tooth decay. Your dentist may recommend that a tooth be removed if it is too damaged to be saved, & will cause you more discomfort or pain if it remains in your mouth.

In some situations, an oral surgeon may remove teeth at the start of orthodontic (braces) treatment. This usually happens when teeth are overcrowded in the jaw & would be difficult to straighten unless teeth are removed. In these situations, your orthodontist will create your treatment plan in cooperation with an oral surgeon.

We always take a conservative approach to tooth removal, & we will only recommend extractions when absolutely necessary for your continued oral health & comfort.

Jaw Surgery

Oral surgeons are also involved in reconstructive or therapeutic jaw surgery, often referred to clinically as orthognathic surgery. Most of the time, jaw surgery is used to correct jaw irregularities that may be causing a patient problems with chewing, speaking or breathing. Those with TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorders may also need jaw surgery to correct the problem. Of course, an oral surgeon will also perform jaw surgery to repair injuries from an accident that has damaged the jaw.

Dental Implants

An oral surgeon may also be involved in the placement of dental implants to replace missing teeth. In some cases, the placement of implants requires bone grafting in order to provide the artificial tooth a sufficient anchor in the jaw. This bone grafting is often performed by an oral surgeon as well.