Dental Implants

Dental implants are changing the way people live. They are designed to provide a foundation for replacement teeth that look, feel, and function like natural teeth. With a dental implant, you will be able to eat virtually anything. Replacing missing teeth with dental implants preserve and restore youthful facial contours. Patients with dental implants can smile with confidence.

What Are Dental Implants?

The dental implants themselves are tiny titanium posts that are surgically placed into the bone where teeth are missing. These metal anchors act as tooth root substitutes. The bone bonds with the titanium, creating a strong foundation for artificial teeth. Abutments, that look like small posts, then allow artificial teeth to be attached to the implant.

Implants also help preserve facial structure, preventing bone deterioration that occurs when teeth are missing.

The Surgical Procedure

Most patients describe dental implant placement as easier than a tooth extraction. Each case is unique with some being appropriate for a single stage surgery, while others may necessitate a two stage surgery.

If you are having an extraction, the tooth is removed, and the implant is placed into the socket during the same procedure. A healing abutment may be placed to contour the gum tissue for the tooth restoration. The implant site will heal for 4-6 months, at which time you will return to the office for a quick evaluation and clearance to proceed with the restorative phase.

When front teeth are involved, temporaries must be fabricated to assist with the obvious social issues. Each case will be evaluated for the most appropriate choice.

At times, patients may have poor quality bone or insufficient volume of bone. In these cases, the surgeon may elect to allow the implant to heal beneath the surface of the gum for additional protection. After the implant has integrated with the bone, the second phase begins. Our physicians will uncover the implant and attach a small healing cap that protrudes through the gums. This will help shape the gingiva, resulting in a more cosmetic result. The restorative phase then begins.

When the artificial teeth are placed, the implant components will not be seen. Most patients experience minimal disruption in their daily life. In most cases, patients can easily return to work the following day. Postoperative discomfort is considered minimal.

Surgical Advances

Using the most recent advances in dental implant technology, our physicians can place single stage implants. These implants do not require a second procedure to uncover them but do require a minimum of four to six months of healing time before artificial teeth are placed. In some cases, implants can be placed at the same time as a tooth extraction – further minimizing the number of surgical procedures.

Dental Implant placement is a team effort between an oral and maxillofacial surgeon and a restorative dentist. While the doctors at SouthOMS perform the actual implant surgery, extractions, and bone grafting if necessary, the restorative dentist (your dentist) fits and makes the permanent prosthesis.

What Type of Prosthesis Is Available?

A single prosthesis (crown) is used to replace one missing tooth – each prosthetic tooth attaches to its own implant. A bridge can replace three or more teeth and may require only two or three implants. A complete dental prosthesis replaces all the teeth in your upper or lower jaw. The number of implants varies depending upon which type of complete prosthesis (removable or fixed) is recommended. A removable prosthesis (over denture) attaches to a locator abutment. Think of a locator abutment as a ball-shaped trailer hitch.A fixed prosthesis is permanent and removable only by the dentist.

Our physicians perform in-office implant surgery in a hospital-style operating suite, thus optimizing the level of sterility. Inpatient hospital implant surgery is for patients who have special medical or anesthetic needs or for those who need extensive bone grafting from the jaw, hip or tibia.

Why Dental Implants?

Once you learn about dental implants, you finally realize there is a way to improve your life. When you lose several teeth – whether it’s a new situation or something you have lived with for years – chances are you have never become fully accustomed to losing such a vital part of yourself.

Dental implants can be your doorway to renewed self-confidence and peace of mind.

A Swedish scientist and orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Per-Ingvar Branemark, developed this concept for oral rehabilitation more than 35 years ago. With his pioneering research, Dr. Branemark opened the door to a lifetime of renewed comfort and self-confidence for millions of individuals facing the frustration and embarrassment of tooth loss.

Why Select Dental Implants Over More Traditional Types of Restorations?

There are several very strong reasons! Why sacrifice the healthy structure of surrounding good teeth to bridge a space? This tooth-supported bridge is reduced in function and has a limited lifespan. Why suffer the maladies of antiquated removable partial dentures? In addition, not only is removing a “partial” at night inconvenient, they are poorly functional and rather embarrassing when they slip and fall out.

Are You a Candidate for Implants?

If you are considering implants, your mouth must be examined thoroughly, and your medical and dental history reviewed. If your mouth is not ideal for implants, ways of improving outcome, such as bone grafting, may be recommended.

What Type of Anesthesia Is Used?

Dental implants and bone grafts can be performed in the office with local anesthesia with or without nitrous oxide or IV sedation. The doctors at South OMS will provide you with the type of anesthesia that makes you the most comfortable.

Do Implants Need Special Care?

Once the implants are in place, they will serve you well for a lifetime if you take care of them and keep your mouth healthy. This means taking the time for good oral hygiene (brushing and flossing) and keeping regular appointments with your dental specialists. Other healthcare issues will be addressed if indicated to maximize the lifespan and success.

Bar Attachment Denture

Bar Attachment Denture is a contemporary restoration that has revolutionized the way surgeons and dentists think of replacing a full set of teeth. Dentures are unsecured prostheses with very limited success. Most often, dentures are painful, inconvenient and unstable. Such dentures can make chewing foods difficult limiting the foods that you once enjoyed.

Modern dentistry can help with the Bar Attachment Denture. The Bar Attachment Denture treatment concept replaces your missing teeth with a full dental bridge supported by only four dental implants. With fewer implants needed, overall treatment time and cost is reduced. The unique Bar Attachment Denture solution also ensures greater stability in the bone, reducing the need for bone graft surgery to increase bone volume.

Typically, a temporary set of teeth can be placed on the same day of surgery. The temporary teeth allow you to lead a normal life immediately after surgery. After a short healing period, your dentist will place the final bridge. Your quality of life is improved, and you can start enjoying your favorite foods again with renewed confidence.

Advantages of Bar Attachment Dentures

• A cost-effective solution: Your new replacement teeth require only 4 implants for each jaw. With fewer implants required, the cost is lowered.
• Reduced need for bone grafting: The special tilting of two of the implants ensures a secure and stable anchorage for the replaced arch, typically making bone grafting unnecessary.
• Faster treatment and healing time: Your replacement arch can be attached to your implants immediately after insertion.
• Scientifically proven and documented: Bar Attachment Denture is supported by good clinical outcomes from studies over a decade with favorable results.

Bone Grafting

Over time, the jawbone associated with missing teeth atrophies or is reabsorbed. This often leaves a condition in which there is poor quality and quantity of bone suitable for placement of dental implants. In these situations, most patients are not candidates for placement of dental implants.

Today, we can augment and reconstruct bone where needed. This not only gives us the opportunity to place implants of proper length and width, but it also gives us a chance to restore functionality and aesthetic appearance.

How Does Bone Grafting Work?

Bone grafting can repair implant sites with inadequate bone structure due to previous extractions, gum disease, or injuries. The bone is either obtained from a tissue bank or your own bone is taken from the jaw, hip, or tibia (below the knee.) Sinus bone grafts are also performed to replace bone in the posterior upper jaw. In addition, special membranes may be utilized that dissolve under the gum and protect the bone graft and encourage bone regeneration. This is called guided bone regeneration or guided tissue regeneration.

Major Bone Grafting

Major bone grafts are typically performed to repair defects of the jaws. These defects may arise as a result of traumatic injuries, tumor surgery, long term loss of teeth, or congenital defects. This bone is harvested from several different sites depending on the size of the defect.

Bone grafting is an area of great discussion within our specialty. This is an area of great pride and success for our physicians based on their advanced Maxillofacial training in a major trauma institution. Advances in science have allowed us to achieve greater goals with decreased downtime and cost.

Wisdom Teeth

By the age of 18, the average adult has 32 teeth; 16 teeth on the top and 16 teeth on the bottom. Each tooth in the mouth has a specific name and function. The teeth in the front of the mouth (incisors, canine, and bicuspid teeth) are ideal for grasping and biting food into smaller pieces. The back teeth (molar teeth) are used to grind food up into a consistency suitable for swallowing. The average mouth is made to hold only 28 teeth. It can be painful when 32 teeth try to fit in a mouth that holds only 28 teeth. These four other teeth are your third molars, also known as “wisdom teeth.”

Why Should I Have My Wisdom Teeth Removed?

Though some patients may not require the removal of their wisdom teeth, most often, it is needed to protect your overall oral health. Wisdom teeth can begin to grow in sideways, only partially erupt, or even get stuck beneath the gum and bone. Known as impacted teeth, those that get stuck may resort to shifting position as the try to find a pathway for eruption into the mouth. When wisdom teeth don’t erupt and align properly, they can create severe problems for the patient, including:

• Risk of infection in tissues surrounding the tooth.
• Disruption to the corrective orthodontic or natural alignment of teeth.
• Formation of tumors or cysts around impacted wisdom teeth, resulting in jawbone or adjacent tooth destruction.

Oral Examination

With an oral examination and x-rays of the mouth, Drs. Schultz, Perciaccante, Anderson, Keyser and Smith can evaluate the position of the wisdom teeth and diagnose present problems or predict if future problems may develop. Studies have shown that early evaluation and treatment results in a superior outcome for the patient and minimizes risk to vital structures and adjacent teeth. Patients are generally first evaluated in the mid-teenage years by their dentist, orthodontist or by one of our highly trained oral and maxillofacial surgeons.

All outpatient surgery is performed under appropriate anesthesia to maximize patient comfort. Drs. Schultz, Perciaccante, Anderson, Keyser and Smith have the unique training, licensing, and experience to provide various types of anesthesia for patients to achieve the best surgical outcome.

Wisdom Teeth Extractions in Newnan, Peachtree City and Fayetteville

During your consultation visit, we will discuss the various forms of anesthesia we may use during your procedure as well as any risks involved. Our primary goal is to ensure your comfort.

The removal of wisdom teeth will be performed under local anesthesia, laughing gas (nitrous oxide/oxygen analgesia) or general anesthesia. These options, as well as the surgical risks (i.e., sensory nerve damage, sinus complications), will be discussed with you before the procedure is performed.

Once the teeth are removed, the gum tissue is sutured. You will rest under our supervision in the office until you are ready to be taken home. Upon discharge, your postoperative kit will include postoperative instructions, prescriptions for pain medication, antibiotics, and a follow-up appointment in one week to ensure you are healing properly.

Tooth Extractions

Patients generally don’t look forward to dental work, especially if that work includes an extraction. Though one of the most common tooth extractions is the removal of a patient’s wisdom teeth, there are also many other reasons why teeth may need to be removed. At SouthOMS, we have many years of experience performing tooth extractions for Georgia patients. Our staff wants to make sure this process is as easy as possible for you, which is why we take great care to ensure your comfort throughout your visit with us. The sooner you get the affected tooth removed; the sooner you’ll start to feel better. Please contact us right away to discuss your options for tooth extractions.

Why Do I Need to Have My Tooth Removed?

Having a tooth removed may seem unnecessary or be emotionally traumatic. Wouldn’t you want to hang on to as many teeth as possible? The answer is most definitely yes. However, sometimes, teeth must be removed because there is no other option available. Our dentists only resort to extracting teeth when it is an absolute necessity. Generally, teeth are removed to preserve oral health and to prevent further damage to other healthy teeth and surrounding gum tissues. Our surgeons may recommend tooth removal to treat the following dental conditions:

• Excessive tooth decay
• Tooth infection
• Crowding of teeth
• As part of a comprehensive orthodontic treatment plan to create space in the dental arch

The Extraction and Post-Op Care

The extraction of a tooth is a relatively simple procedure, though it will vary in complexity depending on whether the tooth is through the gum line or impacted. For most extractions, we only use local anesthesia. However, we may combine this with intravenous sedation for more complicated procedures. Either way, we’ll ensure your comfort during the process of removing your tooth. Our oral surgeons will successfully remove your tooth and suture the surrounding tissue as needed. SouthOMS uses resorbable sutures, so they won’t need to be removed. The recovery time for this procedure is relatively short, and depending on the complexity of the procedure, you will usually return to normal activities within a few days.

However, in the days immediately following the procedure, there will be some things you need to avoid, including using a straw, smoking, and consuming hard or crunchy foods. You will also be required to take prescribed medications as directed by your doctor. All of these specific instructions will be discussed in detail by our team the day of your procedure.

Has a dentist recommended that one of your teeth be extracted? Are you experiencing pain or swelling around one of your teeth? You need the help of a reliable team like the one at SouthOMS. You can rest assured that you or your loved one will receive the highest level of care possible. Please contact us today to make an appointment.

Facial Trauma

The doctors at SouthOMS, as Board Certified oral and maxillofacial surgeons, are uniquely qualified to treat facial trauma. As maxillofacial experts, we are well versed in emergency care, acute treatment, and long-term reconstruction and rehabilitation – not just for physical reasons but emotional as well. Injuries to the face, by their very nature, impart a high degree of emotional, as well as physical trauma to patients. The science and art of treating these injuries require special training, experience and an understanding of how the treatment provided will influence the patient’s long-term function and appearance.

Drs. Schultz, Perciaccante, Anderson, Keyser and Smith are trained, skilled, and uniquely qualified to manage and treat facial trauma.

They are on staff at local hospitals and deliver emergency room coverage for facial injuries, which include the following conditions:

• Facial lacerations
• Intra oral lacerations
• Avulsed (knocked out) teeth
• Fractured facial bones (cheek, nose or eye socket)
• Fractured jaws (upper and lower jaw)

What Leads to Facial Trauma?

There are numerous causes of facial trauma such as gunshot wounds, stabbings, motor vehicle accidents, accidental falls, sports injuries, interpersonal violence, and work-related injuries. Types of facial injuries can range from simple lacerations and fractures to crushing injuries of the face or total destruction or avulsion of facial structures.

When soft tissue injuries such as lacerations occur on the face, they are repaired by suturing. In addition to the obvious concern of providing a repair that yields the best cosmetic result possible, care is taken to inspect for and treat injuries to vital structures such as facial nerves, salivary glands, and salivary ducts (or outflow channels). Our physicians are exceptionally trained oral and maxillofacial surgeons and are proficient at diagnosing and treating all types of facial injuries to restore full function and aesthetics.

Bone Injuries of the Maxillofacial Region

Fractures of the facial bones are treated in a manner similar to fractures in other parts of the body. The specific form of treatment is determined by various factors, which include the location of the fracture, the severity of the fracture, the health of the existing teeth, and general overall health of the patient. When an arm or a leg is fractured, a cast is often applied to stabilize the bone to allow for proper healing. Since a cast cannot be placed on the face and jaws, other means have been developed to stabilize and treat facial fractures.

Certain types of fractures of the jaws are best treated and stabilized by the surgical placement of small plates and screws at the involved site. This technique of treatment can often allow for healing and may eliminate the need to have the jaws wired together. This technique is called “rigid fixation” of a fracture. The use of rigid fixation has profoundly improved the recovery period for many patients, allowing them to return to normal function more quickly than in the past.

The treatment of facial fractures should be accomplished in a thorough and predictable manner. More importantly, the patient’s facial appearance should be minimally affected. An attempt at accessing the facial bones through the fewest incisions necessary is always made. At the same time, the incisions that become necessary, are designed to be small and, whenever possible, are placed so that the resultant scar is minimized and hidden.

Injuries to the Teeth & Surrounding Dental Structures

Isolated injuries to teeth are quite common and may require the expertise of your general dentist as well as multiple dental specialists. Oral surgeons usually are involved in treating fractures in the supporting bone or in replanting teeth that have been displaced or knocked out. These types of injuries are treated by one of several different methods of splinting (stabilizing by wiring or bonding teeth together). If a tooth is knocked out, it should be placed inside the mouth alongside the cheek if possible. Otherwise, the next best option is storing in milk or a balanced saline solution. The sooner the tooth is re-inserted into the dental socket, the better chance it will survive. Therefore, the patient should see a dentist or oral surgeon as soon as possible following the injury. If the event occurs after normal office hours, proceed to an Emergency Room. Never attempt to wipe the tooth off, since remnants of the ligament that hold the tooth in the jaw are attached and are vital to the success of replanting the tooth. You may be referred to other dental specialists such as an endodontist, to have root canal therapy performed on the injured tooth. If injured teeth cannot be saved or repaired, dental implants are often utilized as replacements for missing teeth. Dental implants are currently the most advanced treatment for replacement of missing natural teeth.

Orthognathic Surgery (Jaw Surgery)

Orthognathic surgery is needed when jaws don’t meet correctly and/or teeth don’t seem to fit with jaws. Teeth are straightened with orthodontics and corrective jaw surgery repositions a misaligned jaw. This not only improves facial appearance but also ensures that teeth meet correctly and function properly.

People who can benefit from orthognathic surgery include those with an improper bite or jaws that are positioned incorrectly. Jaw growth is a gradual process, and, in some instances, the upper and lower jaws may grow at different rates. The result can be a host of problems that can affect chewing function, speech, long-term oral health, and appearance. Injury to the jaw and birth defects can also affect jaw alignment. Orthodontics alone can correct bite problems when only the teeth are involved. Orthognathic surgery may be required for the jaws when repositioning is necessary.

Difficulty in the Following Areas Should Be Evaluated:

• Difficulty in chewing, biting or swallowing
• Speech problems
• Chronic jaw or TMJ pain
• Open bite
• Protruding jaw
• Breathing problems

Any of these symptoms can exist at birth, be acquired after birth as a result of hereditary or environmental influences, or as a result of trauma to the face. Before any treatment begins, a consultation will be held to perform a complete examination with x-rays. During the pre-treatment consultation process, feel free to ask any questions that you have regarding your treatment. When you are fully informed about the aspects of your care, you and your dental team can make the decision to proceed with treatment together.

Technology & Orthognathic Surgery

To provide you with a better understanding of orthognathic surgery, we have provided the following multimedia presentation. Many common questions pertaining to orthognathic surgery are discussed.

Our physicians use modern computer techniques and three-dimensional models to prepare for jaw surgery. Comprehensive facial x-rays and computer imaging facilitates the surgical process. Our goal is to help you understand the benefits of orthognathic surgery.

If you are a candidate for corrective jaw surgery, the surgeon will work closely with your orthodontist during treatment. The actual surgery can move your teeth and jaws into a new position that results in a more attractive, functional, and healthy dentofacial relationship.

Corrective Jaw

TMJ & Face Pain

Pre-Prosthetic Surgery

The preparation of your mouth before the placement of a prosthesis is referred to as pre-prosthetic surgery.

Some patients require minor oral surgical procedures before receiving a partial or complete denture, in order to ensure the maximum level of comfort. A denture sits on the bone ridge, so it is very important that the bone is the proper shape and size. If a tooth needs to be extracted, the underlying bone might be left sharp and uneven. For the best fit of a denture, the bone might need to be smoothed out or reshaped. Occasionally, excess bone would need to be removed prior to denture insertion.

Procedures

One or more of the following procedures might need to be performed in order to prepare your mouth for a denture:

• Bone smoothing and reshaping
• Removal of excess bone
• Bone ridge reduction
• Removal of excess gum tissue
• Exposure of impacted teeth

We will review your particular needs with you during your appointment.

Oral Pathology

The inside of the mouth is normally lined with a special type of skin (mucosa) that is smooth and coral pink in color. Any alteration in this appearance could be a warning sign for a pathological process. The most serious of these is oral cancer.

Early Symptoms

The following can be signs at the beginning of a pathologic process or cancerous growth:

• Reddish patches (erythroplasia) or whitish patches (leukoplakia) in the mouth.
• A sore that fails to heal and bleeds easily.
• A lump or thickening on the skin lining the inside of the mouth.
• Chronic sore throat or hoarseness. Difficulty in chewing or swallowing.

Perform an Oral Cancer Self Exam

These changes can be detected on the lips, cheeks, palate, and gum tissue around the teeth, tongue, face and/or neck. Pain does not always occur with pathology, and curiously, it is not often associated with oral cancer. However, any patient with facial and/or oral pain without an obvious cause or reason may also be at risk for oral cancer.

We would recommend performing an oral cancer self-examination monthly and remember that your mouth is one of your body’s most important warning systems. Do not ignore suspicious lumps or sores. Please contact us so we may help.

Impacted Teeth

An impacted tooth simply means that it is “stuck” and cannot erupt into function. Patients frequently develop problems with impacted third molar (wisdom) teeth. These teeth get “stuck” in the back of the jaw and can develop painful infections among a host of other problems (see Impacted Wisdom Teeth under Procedures). Since there is rarely a functional need for wisdom teeth, they are usually extracted if they develop problems. The maxillary canine (upper eyetooth) is the second most common tooth to become impacted. The canine is a critical tooth in the dental arch and plays an important role in your “bite”. The canines are very strong biting teeth and have the longest roots of any human teeth. They are designed to be the first teeth that touch when your jaws close together so they guide the rest of the teeth into the proper bite.

Impacted Teeth Location

Normally, the maxillary canines are the last of the “front” teeth to erupt into place. They usually come into place around age 12 and cause any space left between the upper front teeth to close tighter together. If a canine gets impacted, every effort is made to get it to erupt into its proper position in the dental arch. The techniques involved to aid eruption can be applied to any impacted tooth in the upper or lower jaw, but most commonly they are applied to the maxillary canine (upper eye) teeth. Sixty percent of these impacted eyeteeth are located on the palatal (roof of the mouth) side of the dental arch. The remaining impacted eye teeth are found in the middle of the supporting bone but stuck in an elevated position above the roots of the adjacent teeth or out to the facial side of the dental arch.

Early Recognition of Impacted Eye Teeth is the Key to Successful Treatment

The older the patient, the more likely an impacted canine will not erupt by nature’s forces alone even if the space is available for the tooth to fit in the dental arch. The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that a panorex screening x-ray, along with a dental examination, be performed on all dental patients at around the age of seven years to count the teeth and determine if there are problems with eruption of the adult teeth. It is important to determine whether all the adult teeth are present or are some adult teeth missing. Are there extra teeth present or unusual growths that are blocking the eruption of the canine? Is there extreme crowding or too little space available causing an eruption problem with the canine? This exam is usually performed by your general dentist or hygienist who will refer you to an orthodontist if a problem is identified. Treating such a problem may involve an orthodontist placing braces to open spaces to allow for proper eruption of the adult teeth.

Treatment may also require referral to an oral surgeon for the extraction of over-retained baby teeth and/or selected adult teeth that are blocking the eruption of the all-important canines. The oral surgeon will also need to remove any extra teeth (supernumerary teeth) or growths that are blocking eruption of any of the adult teeth. If the eruption path is cleared and the space is opened by age 11-12, there is a good chance the impacted canine will erupt with nature’s help alone. If the canine is allowed to develop too much (age 13-14), the impacted canine will not erupt by itself even with the space cleared for its eruption. If the patient is too old (over 40), there is a much higher chance the tooth will be fused in position. In these cases, the tooth will not budge despite all the efforts of the orthodontist and oral surgeon to erupt it into place. Sadly, the only option at this point is to extract the impacted tooth and consider an alternate treatment to replace it in the dental arch (crown on a dental implant or a fixed bridge).

What Happens If the Eyetooth Will Not Erupt When Proper Space is Available?

In cases where the canines will not erupt spontaneously, the orthodontist and oral surgeon work together to get these unerupted canines to erupt. Each case must be evaluated on an individual basis, but treatment will usually involve a combined effort between the orthodontist and the oral surgeon. The most common scenario will call for the orthodontist to place braces on the teeth (at least the upper arch). A space will be opened to provide room for the impacted tooth to be moved into its proper position in the dental arch. If the baby canine has not fallen out already, it is usually left in place until the space for the adult canine is ready. Once the space is ready, the orthodontist will refer the patient to the oral surgeon to have the impacted canine exposed and bracketed.

In a simple surgical procedure performed in the surgeon’s office, the gum on top of the impacted tooth will be lifted to expose the hidden tooth underneath. If there is a baby tooth present, it may be removed at the same time. Once the tooth is exposed, the oral surgeon may bond an orthodontic bracket to the exposed tooth. The bracket will have a miniature gold chain attached to it. The oral surgeon will guide the chain back to the orthodontic arch wire where it will be temporarily attached.

Sometimes the surgeon will leave the exposed impacted tooth completely uncovered by suturing the gum up high above the tooth or making a window in the gum covering the tooth (on selected cases located on the roof of the mouth). Most of the time, the gum will be returned to its original location and sutured back with only the chain remaining visible as it exits a small hole in the gum.

Shortly after surgery the patient will return to the orthodontist. If a bracket was placed a rubber band will be attached to the chain to put a light eruptive pulling force on the impacted tooth. If no bracket was placed, the orthodontist will observe the tooth for spontaneous eruption. This will begin the process of moving the tooth into its proper place in the dental arch. This is a carefully controlled, slow process that may take up to a full year to complete. Once the tooth is moved into the arch in its final position, the gum around it will be evaluated to make sure it is sufficiently strong and healthy to last for a lifetime of chewing and tooth brushing. In some circumstances, especially those where the tooth had to be moved a long distance, there may be some minor “gum surgery” required to add bulk to the gum tissue over the relocated tooth so it remains healthy during normal function. Your dentist or orthodontist will explain this situation to you if it applies to your specific situation.

Impacted Canine Braces

These basic principles can be adapted to apply to any impacted tooth in the mouth. It is not that uncommon for both maxillary canines to be impacted. In these cases, the space in the dental arch form will be prepared on both sides at once. When the orthodontist is ready, the surgeon will expose and bracket both teeth in the same visit, so the patient only must heal from surgery once. Because the anterior teeth (incisors and cuspids) and the premolar teeth are small and have single roots, they are easier to erupt if they get impacted than the posterior molar teeth. The molar teeth are much bigger teeth and have multiple roots making them more difficult to move. The orthodontic maneuvers needed to manipulate an impacted molar tooth can be more complicated because of their location in the back of the dental arch.

What to Expect from Surgery to Expose and Bracket an Impacted Tooth?

The surgery to expose and bracket an impacted tooth is a very straightforward surgical procedure that is performed in the oral surgeon’s office. For most patients, it is performed under IV sedation.

You can expect a limited amount of bleeding from the surgical sites after surgery. Although there will be some discomfort after surgery at the surgical sites, most patients find Tylenol or Advil to be more than adequate to manage any pain they may have. There may be some swelling from holding the lip up to visualize the surgical site; it can be minimized by applying ice packs to the lip for the afternoon after surgery. It is advised that you avoid sharp food items like crackers and chips as they will irritate the surgical site. Your doctor will see you after surgery to evaluate the healing process and make sure you are maintaining good oral hygiene.

Digital Imaging Technology

State-of-the-Art Technology

The cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) system gives our oral and maxillofacial surgery practice state-of-the-art technology to help us diagnose potential issues more accurately and provide treatment with unprecedented confidence. Unlike a traditional spiral CT scanner, this 3D system utilizes cone beam CT technology and provides precise, crystal-clear digital images while minimizing your exposure to radiation. Our 3D system enables us to perform a wider range of diagnoses and treatments in our office, helping to reduce multiple visits. The cone beam CT scanner allows us to choose the field of view, or scanning area, that best suits your specific treatment needs. This helps to limit your radiation exposure because we are focusing specifically on your area of concern. The cone beam CT system brings the latest 3D technology to SouthOMS, providing unmatched visualization of anatomical detail which aids in treatment planning and helps us to better explain the particulars of your case, as well as address any questions you may have. We can use this innovative technology to quickly and easily share 3D images of the area of concern with you and with your referring dentist/doctor – allowing the doctors to collaborate on your care, improving your experience, and delivering a positive treatment outcome.