Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Specialists in Annapolis, MD
The caring dental specialists at About Smiles Dentistry offer patients oral and maxillofacial surgery at our Annapolis, MD practice. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons have advanced training and expertise in diagnosing and treating various head and neck injuries and conditions. After finishing four years of dental school, they complete four to six years of formal training in craniomaxillofacial complex treatment. This specialty is among nine specialties the American Dental Association and international organizations recognize. This type of surgeon diagnoses and treats a broad range of conditions, including sleep apnea, oral cancers, tooth extractions, facial pain, and temporomandibular joint disorder.
Extracting Teeth for Infections, Decay, & More
Tooth extractions involve removing one or more teeth, and it is typically a last resort in dentistry because the ideal choice is keeping the natural tooth. Single or multiple extractions may be necessary for many reasons, such as tooth decay and creating space for orthodontic devices. About Smiles Dentistry offers tooth extractions for various conditions, except wisdom teeth. Eliminating pain is the most significant short-term benefit of extracting a tooth. If severe decay or an infection is present, tooth extraction provides almost immediate relief from pain and discomfort. However, please note you will need further procedures to replace the extracted tooth. A gap in your teeth will let the surrounding teeth shift out of alignment to fill the space.
Reasons Patients Need a Tooth Extraction
A tooth extraction is a common procedure, but it should be used as a last resort when we cannot do anything else to save the tooth. Some of the reasons we may perform this procedure include the following:
When decay affects a tooth's surface and the pulp, a root canal is not a viable option. This is the most common reason for extraction.
Extra teeth take up space and cause surrounding teeth to shift out of place. We may extract teeth to make space for teeth to align properly.
Gum and bone recession from periodontal disease result in the tissues no longer securely holding teeth in place. We may have to remove teeth affected by this issue.
Traditional braces need enough space for teeth to move into proper alignment. We might extract a tooth if space cannot be created naturally.
If a tooth is fractured so that repair is impossible, a dental professional will remove that tooth and replace it with a prosthetic in most cases.
How We Perform an Extraction
Extracting a tooth may be simple or require complex surgical processes. About Smiles Dentistry performs a simple extraction on a fully emerged tooth after using a local anesthetic. We elevate the tooth, sever the periodontal ligament using instruments, and then carefully remove it with dental forceps. Surgical extractions are for invisible or inaccessible teeth. We make an incision and use a drill to remove adjacent bone tissue. We may need to remove a tooth by splitting it into several pieces.