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Dental surgery has come a long way to ensure patients are provided what they need to have the perfect smile. One procedure that has made this possible is oral bone grafting, which allows dental implants to be placed if a patient’s jawbone doesn’t provide the proper support. But bone grafting can be used for a variety of other reasons as well. If your dentist has mentioned this procedure as a possibility for your jaw, there are a few things you should know. Let’s take a closer look at a few important questions you might be asking:

1. What is oral bone grafting?
An oral bone graft is a type of corrective jaw surgery that adds bone to the jaw if the patient’s own jaw is not strong enough to support dental implants. This typically happens when the jaw doesn’t have a tooth to replace the one that’s been lost, so it slowly creates a hollow dip in the jawbone. Once a bone graft is complete, solutions like crowns, bridges, or implants can be placed. Bone grafting is a minor outpatient procedure that is common in the United States. In fact, of Americans between the ages of 35 and 44, approximately 69% are missing at least one of their teeth. And in those Americans over the age of 74, 25% have lost all of their permanent teeth.

2. Where does the grafting material come from?
There are a few places grafting material can come from, the first is the most common, where the source for the bone graft is cadaver bone. This could include cadaver or synthetic bone as well as bovine bone. Surgeons are also able to take bone from the patient’s own jaw or sinuses. An experienced oral surgeon will decide which type of material is best to use in any specific dental implant procedure.

3. When does bone grafting need to be used?
There are many reasons a person may need an oral bone graft. Bone density may decrease if the jawbone begins to waste away due to the loss or removal of a tooth. The three most common reasons people require bone grafting are:
○ Gum disease, or other infections and diseases
○ Tooth Extractions
○ Injuries to teeth or the jaw itself
Any type of surgery can be scary. It’s important to remember that bone grafting is a minor, common procedure that can help give you the smile you’ve always wanted. Bone grafting makes dental implants and other procedures possible so patients don’t have to wear dentures or just have missing teeth. For more information on oral bone grafting, talk to your dentist today.

No one wants to have teeth removed, but sometimes it is necessary. Wisdom tooth removal is one of these instances. Sometimes wisdom teeth become impacted, or your jaw isn’t wide enough to hold them. In addition, there are many benefits to wisdom tooth extractions, including:

1. Prevent Damage To Nearby Teeth

Overcrowding in the mouth can lead to jaw problems as well as tooth damage. Wisdom teeth can do a lot of damage to their neighbors, and not just by invading their space. They can damage the molars around them and contribute to bone loss and cavities. You will save more bone by having wisdom tooth surgery than you would by keeping the tooth.

2. Easier Time Cleaning Mouth

Even if you don’t have any complications or pain from the arrival of your wisdom teeth, you can still be at risk. One of the many wisdom teeth extraction benefits is a cleaner mouth. Space is at a minimum when you have more teeth and makes it hard to brush and floss effectively. This means that plaque buildup and cavities are more likely to occur. Having wisdom tooth surgery can save you a lot of money in the future on dental care.

3. Prevent Cysts and Tumors

Impacted wisdom teeth can lead to tiny tumors or cysts in the jawbone. This can lead to pain in the joint and will require the assistance of a specialist to handle. That means that you will have to pay more for emergency dental care in the long run. Having wisdom tooth extraction surgery will save you money and from pain in the future.

If you’re avoiding having your wisdom teeth removed, you should consider the above benefits that come with an extraction procedure. Wisdom tooth surgery can be a good investment for the future of your oral health and save you money in the long term. If you’re concerned about your wisdom teeth, don’t hesitate to speak with your dentist or oral surgeon.

Every year, 5 million Americans undergo an outpatient wisdom tooth extraction procedure. Despite its prevalence, or possibly because of it, there is a great deal of anxiety often associated with a wisdom tooth removal.

In this two-part series, we explore the ins and outs of wisdom tooth surgery. In part one, we examined the causes of wisdom tooth removal, as well as explained the procedure used to remove a tooth. In this second part of this series, we will look into how to prepare for your upcoming wisdom tooth extraction procedure.

Understanding
In the weeks leading up to your procedure, it is important to ask your doctor what to expect. Depending on your unique situation, you may be asked to abstain from eating or drinking within 24 hours of your surgery, forgo medications, and even skip certain parts of your dental hygiene routine.

Planning
One of the simplest ways to reduce anxiety is to have a good plan in place. In this instance, that means understanding both when to arrive at your dental surgeon’s office and also how you will get home. While you may not need to arrange a ride home, it is often a good idea to have someone with you, that way, if you have a particularly strong reaction to the anesthesia then you will have a safe method of transportation.

Additionally, you should arrange your schedule in the days following your surgery so that you have no major obligations or deadlines. This ensures you can focus your energy on recovering from your procedure.

Preparing
There are a number of important post-surgery restrictions and regulations that you should abide by. The trick is that after your wisdom tooth extraction procedure, pain or grogginess might pose a barrier for you when you try to follow such restrictions.

Diet is especially important in this instance. The restrictions on what you can eat in the wake of your surgery can be quite severe. Therefore, it is a good idea to prepare your home for what you may need after your surgery.

The day before the surgery, for instance, you could prepare or purchase foods that are approved by your dental surgeon. That way, you will not have to worry about cooking or shopping after your surgery.

Wisdom teeth extraction benefits make the procedure well worth it for many Americans. By developing a proper understanding, appropriately planning for the day of your surgery, and preparing your home for maximum recovery, you can be sure that you are taking every possible step to ensure the success of your wisdom tooth extraction procedure.

This concludes our two-part series on wisdom tooth surgery. Hopefully, you feel more confident and comfortable with the procedure and have a strong understanding of how to prepare for it.

Whether you are preparing your teen for their wisdom tooth removal or you have made the choice as an adult to remove your own, wisdom tooth extraction can be nerve-wracking.

To better equip you for your own wisdom tooth surgery, we’ve put together this two-part blog. In this series, we will explain what you can expect on the day of your surgical tooth extraction and lay out ways that you can prepare for the procedure.

This first post will focus on the former: demystifying the wisdom tooth removal process so that you can feel informed on the day of your surgery.

Why Are Wisdom Tooth Extractions Necessary, Anyway?
Wisdom teeth are the teeth all the way at the back of your jaw. These teeth are the final set of molars that develop and typically begin to emerge by your early twenties. While these teeth can play a helpful function if they develop correctly, they often don’t.

Wisdom teeth are so often removed because there usually isn’t enough room in the mouth for those teeth to grow properly. That can cause crowding, poor alignment, and angling as the teeth emerge, or they may not emerge.

When a tooth does not properly erupt from the gums, it is said to be impacted. Impaction can cause bacteria to grow around the tooth, which can lead to infection, decay, swelling, and severe pain.

Why Are Wisdom Teeth Recommended to Be Removed When You are Younger?
It is incredibly common for people to have their wisdom teeth removed at a younger age. There are a number of reasons for this: it can save a great deal of discomfort or pain to remove the wisdom teeth before any problems develop.

An additional reason why the best oral surgeons and dentists will often recommend having wisdom tooth removal performed during one’s teen years is that the teeth don’t fully form until sometime in the mid-twenties. That means the roots are easier to remove from the jawbone and that there is a decreased likelihood of complications.

What Does the Wisdom Tooth Removal Procedure Look Like?
While no one can give you a better idea of what to expect than your oral surgeon, there are a number of things that are almost universally true. For instance, a tooth that has successfully broken through the gum can be removed with the same relative ease as any other procedure to remove a tooth.

When the tooth is impacted, however, the procedure becomes more involved. Typically, the surgeon will need to cut through the gums to have access to the tooth. Additionally, it is often necessary to remove a portion of the jawbone that the tooth is embedded in. This will typically be performed in segments to reduce the amount of bone removed.

Having a wisdom tooth removal can be intimidating. Still, the procedure is often much easier and safer than people imagine. Hopefully by knowing the reasons for and methods of wisdom tooth extraction you now feel more comfortable with the procedure.

When it comes to dental surgery, there are many choices you need to make, right down to who will perform the surgery. While it is true that many dentists can perform numerous surgical procedures in addition to their general dentistry, there are also oral doctors who focus specifically on oral surgery procedures.
For reasons of familiarity or convenience, it may be tempting to stick to your general dentist for these procedures. However, there are important reasons to choose an oral surgeon who specializes in oral surgery procedures.
Some of those important reasons to empower you to make an informed decision are:

1. Specialization
   One of the most important reasons to look to an oral surgeon for your corrective jaw surgery or dental implant surgery is their specialization. While they have a great deal of the same fundamental information as a general dentist, they have dedicated the bulk of their time to understanding these complicated and occasionally dangerous procedures. This ensures that you are getting the very best in expert care.
2. Experience
   With something as delicate as a dental implant procedure there are risks and challenges beyond placing the implant. If your jaw bone is not thick enough or too soft you may require a bone graft. Or if there is not enough bone height in the upper jaw or the sinuses are too close to the jaw a sinus lift may be required. These are the kinds of things that an oral surgeon is prepared for. Given that the number of people who receive dental implants each year is around three million and rising annually by 500,000, it is not a frequently performed procedure for many. Oral Surgeons, however, perform dental implants and a host of other types of oral surgery procedures on a regular basis. That has given them a deep understanding of the best practices for oral surgery procedures.
3. Special Facilities
   Unlike a traditional dentist’s office, an oral surgeon has a specifically-designed facility that will enable them to perform your surgery in a manner that is both safe and comfortable. Since these facilities are equipped with the latest tools for your procedure, you can be assured that you are receiving the cutting-edge care that you deserve.

When it comes to your oral surgery procedure and placing your dental implant, you will likely have to decide between a general dentist or an oral surgeon. In most cases, the latter can offer you the very best because of training, hands on experience, and infrastructure to ensure your surgery is a success.

Of all the oral issues you might experience, it’s safe to say that jaw pain might be one of the nastiest. Not only does this pain seem to radiate throughout your mouth, it affects you constantly as you use speak and chew throughout the day.

In fact, the only thing worse than the pain itself is being unable to pinpoint the cause. Fortunately, we’re here to help you with that. This article cannot diagnose any of the pain, however, we can help you identify some possibilities. Let’s look at a few common jaw conditions that might be causing your discomfort.

Temporomandibular Disorder 

Better known as TMJ Disorder, this condition affects almost 35 million individuals in the United States. It’s also one of the most common answers to the question, “What’s causing my jaw pain?”

Not only can it cause intense and chronic jaw pain, it can also cause a clicking sound when the jaw opens and closes. In severe instances, the disorder may result in an individual’s mouth getting stuck in an open or closed position. If you suspect TMJ is the root of your jaw problems, you should speak to a dentist or experienced oral surgeon right away.

Teeth Grinding 

This is probably the most common cause of jaw pain, and you might not even know you’re doing it! While it’s true that many people grind their teeth when they’re stressed out, most teeth grinding happens when people are sleeping. If you’ve ever woken up with a sore jaw and aching teeth, sleep-teeth grinding could be the cause!

Wisdom Teeth 

As far as jaw pain goes, wisdom teeth are a pretty common culprit. When these teeth come in, they can cause jaw pain, shifting teeth, inflamed gums, and a whole host of other unpleasant symptoms. While they may not require extensive lower jaw surgery, wisdom tooth removal surgery is the best way to relieve this.

Please note IOMSWA does not treat TMJ, we do diagnose. Please contact us with any questions.