What is reconstructive oral surgery, and when would our Burnaby dentists recommend this procedure? We provide some facts and signs of when patients may require it.
What is reconstructive oral surgery?
Accidents happen every day - from workplace incidents to sports injuries, falls, facial trauma or car accidents, an injury to your mouth and teeth can be scary and stressful. They can also have negative long-term impacts on your oral health.
An oral surgeon may recommend this dental surgery procedure to restore your smile's function and appearance. Facial reconstruction surgery can actually be broken into two categories: fractures and soft tissue injuries.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissue injuries involve trauma to the skin or gums, such as cuts on the tongue, inside of your cheek or lips. These may also include lacerations the soft or hard palate.
Fractures
There is tiny bone tissue in your mouth, including the teeth, upper and lower jaw and facial bones that could need reconstruction if it becomes injured.
If you've suffered severe facial injuries to the nasal cavities or forehead, you might require a larger reconstructive surgery.
As you might imagine, acquiring a jaw defect due to earlier surgery (e.g. ablative tumour surgery) or trauma can drastically impact your quality of life in terms of function and appearance - everything from eating and swallowing to speaking, appearance and self-confidence are impacted.
You may need facial reconstructive surgery if you receive any of these dental services:
- Wisdom tooth removal
- Dental implants
- Jaw surgery
- Bone grafting
What does reconstructive surgery involve?
Facial injuries, knocked out teeth and other traumatic injuries to the face and neck can leave patients struggling to eat, speak, chew and live a good quality of life. We use reconstructive surgery procedures to replace damaged or missing teeth, correct issues with the jaw joint and treat gum and jawbone damage. Depending on your injury or circumstance, dental implants or other treatment options may be used to repair bone structure and jaw alignment.
Maxillofacial Reconstruction
Maxillofacial reconstruction can entail a range of procedures, from bone grafting to bone transplants with blood vessels for larger, more complex defects. This dental surgery can correct a wide range of defects, diseases and injuries in the face, neck, head and jaws, as well as the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial area.
Rehabilitation
After an oral and maxillofacial surgeon has completed the reconstructive oral surgery, the oral cavity (teeth and gums) must be rehabilitated and lost teeth and gums will be replaced so you can speak, eat and swallow normally again.
Our oral and maxillofacial surgeon at Oakmount Dental is uniquely qualified to provide comprehensive surgical care, guiding you through every stage of treatment, including:
- Ablative resection
- Microvascular reconstruction
- Dental implant placement
Though reconstructive oral surgery can sound intimidating, our dental and oral surgery team at Oakmount Dental is here to answer any questions you may have and address concerns throughout treatment.
