One of the sub-specialties of dentistry is dental surgery, which finds its application in cases of, among other things, degenerations, growths, ossifications or the need for more serious intervention deep into the gum. If someone feels fear of surgical procedures, they should know that thanks to modern medicine and anaesthetics most of these fears can now be dispelled.
What is dental surgery, and what does it cover, at our dental centre?
Extractions of problematic teeth
Dental surgery comes to the rescue in situations where it is necessary to carry out the extraction of teeth in an atypical and hard-to-reach position. A problematic arrangement of a tooth on the arch or its growth in the wrong place may result in its increased exposure to caries and pain, as well as the shifting of adjacent teeth. To avoid these unpleasant consequences, the tooth most often has to be removed, but because of the atypical arrangement of the tooth such a procedure cannot be carried out using traditional tools for ordinary extraction, so as not to damage other teeth. In such a situation, after prior anaesthesia of the tooth, a dentist with a surgical specialty must use appropriate forceps and elevators, which will lever out the tooth.
Removal of wisdom teeth
A fairly commonly encountered surgical dental procedure is the extraction of the so-called wisdom teeth, i.e. the removal of the "eights". The extraction of impacted teeth, to some degree under the bone tissue, gives rise to the need to incise and expose the gum and remove the bone plate using a surgical drill, in order to be able to reach the impacted tooth. The procedure also differs from a traditional extraction in that the tooth is most often removed in parts, and the wound after extraction is sutured. Then the dentist gives the patient appropriate recommendations and, after about a week, removes the stitches.
It is worth emphasising that thanks to anaesthesia this procedure is also not painful; it may only cause a feeling of discomfort brought about by a sensation of pressure or squeezing.
The procedure of removing the wisdom teeth is often ordered by the orthodontist as part of the preparation for treatment with an orthodontic appliance.
Root-tip resection
This surgical procedure is most often used in the case of severe complications after root canal treatment. It is a procedure that prevents the formation of periapical abscesses, cysts or granulomas, etc.
The procedure is always performed under anaesthesia, because it involves cutting off the tip of the tooth root and removing the inflammatory lesions. Although this procedure is complicated and requires exceptional experience from the dental surgeon, in most cases it makes it possible to protect the tooth from extraction, and that is why it is worth not being afraid of it.
Importantly, thanks to modern anaesthesia methods, surgical procedures can be performed with pain kept to a minimum. Read more about pain-free treatment at NL Clinic here.
What will the dentist tell you before and after a surgical procedure?
Before the decision is made to undertake surgical dental treatment, our dentists always make sure that there are clear indications for the procedure and that nothing stands in the way of carrying it out. Depending on the essence of the problem, contraindications may differ, but in our practice in Katowice we always make sure that the changes around the root are not too extensive, that the patient does not suffer from deeply advanced periodontosis or any organ or systemic diseases. It is absolutely necessary to inform the dentist about pregnancy or allergic reactions to medicines.
In some situations, during more complex surgical procedures, dentists may ask for prior, earlier preparation for the procedure, especially when general anaesthesia is anticipated. There is then a whole series of guidelines that must be followed on the day of the procedure.
Surgical dental procedures at the NL Clinic centre
Apart from those mentioned above, other problems that dental surgery can solve are the reconstruction and grafting of bone or the placement of implants, about which we write more here.
Our dentists come with gentle surgical help in the case of the removal of a milk tooth (also under anaesthesia, also using a spray), a permanent tooth (also with separation), a tooth with separation under anaesthesia, and in the removal of a tooth with plasty of the oro-antral communication. Our dental centre on the Witosa estate in Katowice also offers surgical procedures such as the incision of an abscess or the cutting of the lip frenulum, while the removal of stitches after a procedure with suturing performed at our dental centre is free of charge. We invite you.