At South Valley Oral and Facial Surgery, we understand how overwhelming it can be to visit a dental professional. We will always do our best to make your stay comfortable and free from anxiety. When dental practices use terminology that you don’t understand it can trigger some mixed emotions. We understand that patient education is key in helping to bridge the gap in understanding what the problem is, how to fix it, and prevent it from happening again. Dentoalveolar surgery is a great example of a term that everyone could use a bit of education on.Dentoalveolar surgery is a blanket term used to describe a number of different surgeries that involve the teeth and the structures that support them. Surgery on structures like alveolar bone and soft tissue structures like the gums are included under the description of dentoalveolar surgery. For many of these procedures, x-rays or 3D imaging may be required.
Dentoalveolar Surgeries
Here are some of the most common surgeries that can be described as being dentoalveolar surgeries:
Tooth Extractions
When a tooth suffers some sort of physical trauma or becomes so damaged by decay that it can no longer function properly, we will sometimes opt to extract the tooth from your mouth surgically. Surgical extractions include impaction removals, whether they are wisdom teeth or not.
Surgical Exposure of Impacted Teeth
When teeth require removal for orthodontic purposes, those surgeries fall under the description of dentoalveolar surgery. If there is not enough room in the mouth for a tooth, or if it is coming in at an angle that will cause it to be impacted, we will often opt to remove the tooth before it has a chance to damage any other structures in the mouth. Potential tooth impaction is a good reason not to miss a bi-annual visit to our office for an examination. Early detection of these issues can end up saving teeth.
Pre-Prosthetic Surgery
When you are being fitted for dentures there is a chance that the structure of your mouth will need to be changed in order for the prosthesis to be comfortable. Most of the surgeries (skin grafts, removal of oddly shaped bone) are classified as dentoalveolar surgeries.
Surgical Mitigation of Bone Loss
When tooth loss is an issue, bone loss is usually not far behind. If you lose teeth without replacing them there is a chance that your jaw bone will begin to recede. In order for a jaw that has experienced bone loss to support dental implant it will require a bone graft.
Anesthesia
Many of these surgeries can be performed with the use of only local anesthetics and numbing agents. Some of these procedures require the use of general anesthesia or intravenous sedation. Regardless of what kind of sedation is required, we can accommodate your level of comfort with any level of sedation you prefer. Simply let us know what you would be comfortable with ahead of time. Please call our office today at 408-479-9449 to schedule an appointment.