Oral Surgeon Spring TX

Wisdom teeth often become impacted, meaning they are unable to fully erupt due to a lack of space. Removing these teeth to prevent pain, infection, and damage to surrounding teeth.

Coronectomy is a specialized dental surgical procedure that is an alternative to a complete tooth extraction. It's exclusively performed on impacted wisdom teeth. The purpose is to prevent potential damage to the inferior alveolar nerve. In some patients the roots of the wisdom tooth are very close to or entwined with this nerve. Removing this entire tooth in these high-risk cases could lead to temporary or permanent numbness, tingling, or altered sensation in the lower lip and chin. Crown removal only the visible or top portion (the crown) of the wisdom tooth is carefully removed. The roots of the tooth are intentionally left in the jawbone, undisturbed and smoothed down below the level of the gum.

Supernumerary teeth are characterized by having one or more extra teeth than the normal number they can be classified by their location and shape/ form, and it effect on the adjacent permanent teeth. Blocking the eruption of a permanent tooth, causing crowding or misalignment or, associated with a cyst or pathology.

The list of Supernumerary teeth as follows

• A mesiodens - an extra tooth located in the midline between the two upper central incisors - most likely to block the eruption of cause displacement/ rotation of the permanent front teeth.
• A paramolar- an extra tooth located next to the molars- can interfere with the bite or cause difficulty cleaning.
• A distodens - an extra tooth located behind the third molar (wisdom tooth) often called a fourth molar, can interfere with the impaction of the regular wisdom tooth.

Teeth Extractions are recommended when a tooth is damaged beyond repair or when it poses a risk to overall oral health.

Dental implants are essentially an artificial tooth root that is surgically placed into the jawbone. It is a three-part system designed to replace a missing tooth. The implant post (fixture): a small, screw like post (usually made of titanium or zirconia) it acts as the anchor and root. The remaining two components are restored by the Dentist, the abutment and crown. Type of implants and techniques are the single tooth implant, implant supported bridge, implant retained denture and All on 4/ All on 6.

Bone ridge modification, sinus lifts, bone blocks and mesh to create a stable foundation. To ensure there's enough jawbone to support the implant.

Socket preservation at the time of extraction. The tooth is carefully removed, and the empty socket is thoroughly cleaned to ensure all diseases of infected tissues are gone. The bone graft material can range from patients' own bone, donor bone, animal derived bone or a synthetic material is placed into the empty socket. This material acts as a scaffold. A barrier placement, protective membrane (often made of collagen) or dissolvable plug is placed over the graft material. This acts as a barrier to prevent soft gum tissue from growing down into the socket, ensuring that the new bone has room to form.

Ridge Augmentation depends on the nature of the bone loss (vertical or horizontal) and the amount of bone needed.

Horizontal augmentation - bone graft material is placed along the side of narrow ridge. To increase the width of the jawbone ridge.

Vertical Augmentation- this more complex and involves building up the bone vertically. To increase the height of the jawbone.  

Sinus Augmentation- known as a sinus lift - performed to increase the amount of bone in the posterior back part of the upper jaw, a region that often lacks sufficient bone to support a dental implant.

Types of sinus lift procedures include

• Lateral window approach - a small, hinged opening (window) is created on the side of the jawbone to access the sinus of the jawbone to access the sinus. The membrane is lifted, and a large volume of graft material is added. It's used when a significant amount of bone is missing.
• Crestal approach - the sinus floor is accessed through the same small hole that is drilled for the implant. Specialized instruments gently tap or push the sinus floor upward. It Is used when a minimal increase in bone height is needed.
• Bone block graft - solid piece of bone is produced using CAD/CAM technology based on a CBCT/CT scan of the defected area. Placing the bone block in the defected area to repair the large, extensive defects where the jaw is severely narrow or short.
• Customized Mesh - a custom fit titanium mesh based on the patients CT scan. The bone defect is exposed, and the titanium mesh is placed over the area. The bone graft is packed into the space beneath the mesh filling the defect to the desired contour. The mesh is secured to the stable native bone using small titanium fixation screws. The gums (soft tissue flap) are carefully stitched closed over the mesh to ensure complete coverage.

Pre-prosthetic surgery refers to a range of oral surgical procedures that prepare the mouth for successful placement of a dental prothesis such as a denture. The denture relies on the underlying bone and gum tissue for support and a secure fit. If the jawbone is uneven, sharp or has insufficient volume, or if there is excess soft tissue, the prosthesis may be unstable, uncomfortable, or even cause irritation or pain. These procedures are called alveoloplasty, tori reduction, tuberosity reduction, frenectomy, and bone ridge reduction or augmentation, removal of excess gum tissue, and vestibuloplasty.

Biopsies are often performed to diagnose and identify variety of diseases in the mouth, jaw, and salivary glands, which are often considered as cysts, tumors and or cancerous growths. These can be detected on the lips, cheeks, palate and gum tissue around teeth, tongue and neck.

It is a common oral surgical procedure that involves the removal or modification of a frenulum. A frenulum is a small fold of tissue that connects different parts of the mouth, most commonly under the tongue or behind the upper lip.

Orthodontists refer their patients to an oral surgeon to expose the tooth by making a small incision in the gum tissue and carefully removing any bone or gum that is covering the impacted tooths crown. This exposes the tooth, making it accessible. Bond the bracket once the tooth is exposed the oral surgeon bonds a small orthodontic bracket to its surface, this bracket has a miniature gold chain attached to it. The chain is then secured in a way that allows the orthodontist to access it easily.

Sedation is a spectrum, and depth of the patient's consciousness is constantly monitored and adjusted by a healthcare professional.

• Oral sedation- the patient swallows a pill (typically a benzodiazepine) an hour or so before the procedure. This results in mild to moderate sedation and is often used to simply relieve anxiety.
• Inhalation Sedation- the patient breathes in a gas, such as a Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) mixed with oxygen through a mask. This provides minimal sedation, is fast acting and wears off quickly.
• Intravenous (IV) Sedation- the drug like propofol is injected directly into a vein. This allows the provider to quickly and precisely control the level of sedation, making it the most common method for oral surgery procedures requiring moderate to deep sedation.
• Anesthesiologist- medical physician specialist who administers anesthesia who is responsible for safety and well-being before, during and after oral surgery procedures that require critical care