Oral surgery is the oldest of the dental specialties. This specialty encompasses the diagnosis and surgical treatment of diseases that occur in the mouth, jaws, and tissues.
Oral surgery includes all types of extractions, removal of lesions, and histological analysis of them, in addition to implants.
Under the tutelage of our oral surgeon, Dr. Sergio Trapote, we will be able to solve those problems that require surgical intervention for their solution.
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Oral surgery is one of the oldest dental specialties; Since the times of the Mayas, Aztecs, or Incas, different surgical interventions have been registered in the oral cavity, such as extractions or, for less dental purposes, implantations of precious stones and other ornaments. Equally surprising is the story of the first dental implant, which dates back to 7000 BC, and in which you can see a female skull with a phalanx implanted in the region of the premolars.
Good! Now you know the history of this specialty, but… Could you say what it consists of?
What is oral surgery?
It consists of a medical-surgical specialty that ranges from prevention to the study, treatment, and rehabilitation of any affectation that may take place in the mouth. In this way, oral surgery is the option of choice when solving problems as common as tooth extraction, removal of lesions, dental implants, pre-prosthetic surgery, or delayed treatment of bruxism, as well as the pertinent histological analysis and study.
You have surely heard about – if you have not suffered them in your own flesh – of most of the above procedures. Even so, we are going to explain in detail what they consist of, the procedure by which they are performed, their benefits, and their risks. Keep reading to not miss a detail!
Tooth extraction
This procedure is one of the most frequent in oral maxillofacial surgery and basically consists of the extraction of a tooth. The reasons why this intervention is required are diverse. In the case of childhood, almost half of the cases (44.75%) are due to orthodontic causes, thus ranking first. In other words, due to the placement of the famous “appliance” and due to the lack of space in the oral cavity, it was decided to proceed with the extraction of a piece, the most common being that of the first and second premolars. In the case of adults, the reasons vary. Thus, around 60% are due to the presence of caries, 20% due to periodontal disease, and, finally, with a percentage, less than 20% are traumas, prosthetic or orthodontic treatments. Although it is true, these percentages may vary depending on the population studied.
Extraction mechanism
Certainly, depending on the cause, the extraction will take place one way or another; But, broadly speaking, the extraction mechanism can be divided into two types:
Simple extraction: it is carried out in the presence of visible teeth, that is, those that have already erupted. To do this, the tooth must first be loosened with the appropriate instruments, in this case, the elevator is used, which allows breaking the ligamentous union that occurs between the tooth and the bone. Once the piece is loosened, it must be extracted using forceps. In very few cases it is necessary to make incisions in the gum.
Surgical extraction: as can be seen from the name itself, this intervention is a little more complex than the previous one and is the one performed when a tooth breaks in the gum (extraction of roots, the crown is damaged) or, directly, not is born. For this, it is necessary to make an incision in the gum in order to remove the tooth. Likewise, in these cases, it may become necessary to manipulate the bone itself or even proceed to split the tooth.
Before proceeding with any action, the area will be properly studied by inspection and X-rays, the medical history, current medication, and possible comorbidities will be evaluated. At the beginning of the intervention, the area is anesthetized using a truncal technique.
Risks and benefits
Like all oral and maxillofacial surgery that is performed, it involves a risk. However, this is minimal. First, the anesthesia used is local; Specifically, only the nerve is “numbed” in a truncal manner, thus greatly reducing the risks related to anesthesia. Likewise, there are also minimal risks or consequences, such as post-intervention pain and inflammation.
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