Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
The Oral and maxillofacial surgeon is a dentist that specializes and focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of oral and facial diseases, injuries and abnormalities. Anyone who is missing teeth or is in need of bone grafting or sinus lift procedures or other types of oral and maxillofacial treatments are ideal patients for this type of dentist. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons usually receive four to six years of additional training beyond normal dental school in order to specialize in their respected field.
When a patient looses a tooth for whatever reason, over time that patient may experience sufficient bone loss in the area where the tooth was. Under circumstances where there was no bone loss, a traditional dentist depending on their level of experience may perform a standard dental implant in order to replace the missing tooth. However, it may be that the bone loss in the area is excessive and may need to be built up before an implant would be placed. The oral and maxillofacial surgeon would build up the bone through a bone graft, increasing the height and width of the bone area.
Treatment of Oral and Facial Diseases
In the case with the alveolar ridge, which is the area of the jaw that holds the natural roots of the tooth, the oral and maxillofacial surgeon would performs what’s called a alveolar ridge augmentation. Depending of the severity of the bone recession and deterioration, the bone graft may or may not be done when the dental implant is placed. The Oral and maxillofacial surgeon may feel that the graft needs time to heal prior to implant placement as the graft attaches itself permanently to the alveolar ridge.
Oral and maxillofacial surgeons may also perform what’s called a sinus lift procedure before a dental implant is placed. Sometimes when someone looses a tooth and has sufficient bone loss in the upper part of the mouth surrounding the maxillofacial sinus cavity, the bone wall is too thin for a dental implant to be placed. The implant runs the risk of penetrating the maxillofacial sinus cavity. In this case the oral and maxillofacial surgeon would need to lift the lining of the sinus cavity, putting more distance between the implant and cavity wall.
Alveolar Ridge Augmentation
These two procedures are just among the many that a patient would benefit from in seeing an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. Usually your regular dentist can make a recommendation to help you find one that suits you.