Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons are specialist dentists who treat injuries, conditions, and defects of the mouth, jaws, teeth, and face. Oral surgeons are required to complete an extra 4 to 6 years of comprehensive training after they graduate from dental school.
If you are in good general health, and missing one or more teeth, then you are a candidate for dental implants. Working together with your primary care dentist, we create custom treatment plans for patients with illnesses such as diabetes.
As a specialty practice, we can provide you with more options for sedation than a general dentist. We have specially trained and certified staff who administer anaesthesia and monitor your vital signs during surgery. We offer both general and local anaesthetic. Local anaesthesia only numbs the area involved in the surgery, so you will still be awake, whereas, with general anaesthesia, you will be put to sleep.
Wisdom teeth can cause serious problems such as shifting and crowding other teeth, changing your bite, and loss of jawbone tissue. Wisdom teeth that erupted partially often trap food, causing gum disease and decay and gum disease. Swelling and jaw pain are some of the most common early symptoms. We recommend giving us a call at the first sign of symptoms.
It is not compulsory to have a referral letter from a dentist. However, it is highly recommended. By visiting your dentist first, you can avoid unnecessary visits. Your dentist will evaluate you and determine if a visit to our office is needed.
If you feel like you are getting sick, call our office and inform us of your condition. We will assess if your symptoms require us to postpone surgery. Generally, if you are nauseated, running a fever, have a bad cough, or have trouble breathing, then we will need to cancel your surgery. If you just have a head cold and basically feel all right, you may be able to go ahead with the surgery.
Parents of young children may accompany their child before the surgery. However, safety regulations do not permit bystanders during the surgical procedure.
Yes, you may have dinner the night before your surgery. If you are having general anaesthesia, you cannot have anything to eat or drink for a minimum of 8 hours prior before your surgery.
It is highly recommended that you still brush your teeth prior to surgery, as your mouth should be very clean- but be sure not to swallow any toothpaste or water.
You should contact your primary care doctor to let him or her know that you are having oral surgery. Your doctor will advise you on whether you should continue to take your prescribed medication. If you need to take it, you can take it with a tiny sip of water- just enough to get your pills down. You also need to make sure that our office is aware of any medications that you are taking when you schedule your appointment.
We strongly recommend that you refrain from consuming any alcoholic beverage the night before your surgery, while you are taking prescription pain medication.
Although you will be able to walk out on your own after the surgical procedure, your reflexes and decision-making ability may still be hazy due to the anaesthesia. You will not be able to drive yourself home after surgery. We ask that patients have someone drop them off before surgery and fetch them after surgery to ensure they get home safely.
This differs with every patient and the different types of surgeries. Most people feel good enough to go back to school or work after a couple of days. Some people need a few days more to recover. Generally, single tooth extractions and placement of dental implants require at least 24-48 hours before you will feel ready to resume your daily activities. For wisdom tooth extractions, patients generally recover fully 3-5 days after surgery a routine wisdom tooth or third molar extraction. For third molars that are more impacted, the recovery period is typically 5-7 days. More complex procedures will need additional downtime.
Mouth and facial swelling will generally be at its peak in the first two to three days. After that, the swelling will gradually go down. Generally, the swelling will be 80% gone in five to seven days. Remember to carefully follow the instructions given to you on the day surgery, in order to heal as quickly as possible.
Yes, you can eat. You should try to drink or eat something before resting or taking your pain medication in order to avoid nausea. We recommend that you drink clear liquids after surgery(e.g. water, 7-Up, ginger ale, apple juice, etc.) and follow a soft food diet for a day or so, avoiding dairy and hot liquids and foods.
Do not panic. Your active rinsing will begin the day after surgery, and this will help remove any food particles that may be stuck. Before bedtime, you should brush your teeth and gently rinse out the toothpaste. This will most likely dislodge any food stuck in the extraction area.
Not all patients will have stitches in their mouth following surgery. This depends on the type of surgery performed. If you do have stitches placed, you will likely have to return to have them removed in seven to ten days. Sometimes the doctor uses stitches that will dissolve on their own after a period of time.
Post-operative nausea and vomiting may occur due to the after-effects of the general anaesthesia and/or the prescribed medications. Treat nausea the same as you would the flu, (e.g. start with sips of clear liquids like water, 7-Up, ginger ale, apple juice). If those stay down, then continue these fluids until the nausea has completely subsided. Also, it is best to stop taking the prescribed medications until the nausea has passed. If after the first few sips the vomiting returns, wait 2 hours and start the fluids again. If the pain is quite intense, you may take painkillers such as Ibuprofen. If you still feel nauseous after 24 hours, please contact our offices.