Oral Surgery Specialist

What is Oral Surgery?

Oral surgery is used to diagnose, repair, or treat serious conditions affecting a patient’s teeth, palate, lips, jaw, or face. It can also alleviate problems due to obstructed sleep apnea, infections, or facial pain. While the removal of wisdom teeth is the most well-known type of oral surgery, there are many reasons that a patient might need oral surgery.

What Conditions Does Oral Surgery Treat?

• An impacted tooth. This means that a permanent (adult) tooth has not yet erupted from the bone but is moving into or pushing against an adjacent tooth. This commonly occurs with wisdom teeth.
• Dental implant procedures to replace missing teeth
• Extraction of 1 or more teeth
• Corrective surgery to soft tissues or bones in the maxillofacial region is needed
• Facial pain exists, including pain suspected from TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint Disease)
• Severe obstructive sleep apnea
• An open bite
• An unbalanced facial appearance from the front or side
• A facial injury or birth defect that affects the face and jaw
• A receding chin or protruding jaw

Why Are Wisdom Teeth Removed?

Third molars, also called wisdom teeth, are the last set of permanent teeth to erupt in a person’s mouth, often not until late adolescence or early adulthood. Depending on the individual patient’s jaw, wisdom teeth are not necessary for optimal dental health and can cause problems if they become impacted or if the jaw is too small to hold them. When this happens, the wisdom teeth force other teeth out of alignment and can damage your bite and cause infection inflammation. Sometimes wisdom teeth do not erupt correctly and crowd the roots of other teeth, forcing them out of alignment, which can damage your bite. If you or your child begins to experience jaw pain, problems chewing, or headaches, make an appointment at Sunrise Dental of Everett to check on your wisdom teeth and overall oral health.