By the time a person reaches the age of 18 years, they usually have 16 teeth on the top and 16 teeth on the bottom. However, many mouths can only accommodate 28 teeth, and the four molars in the back of the mouth may cause some pain or irritation. These teeth are known as wisdom teeth and may need to be removed with a tooth extraction procedure. The wisdom teeth typically attempt to erupt, if they are not impacted, between the ages of 17 and 21.

Many people wonder why they need to have their wisdom teeth removed if the teeth are not causing any pain or are not bothersome. Dr. Andres F. Herrera may recommend a tooth extraction procedure when the teeth are not aligning properly or if the gum tissue is becoming infected. Wisdom teeth extraction may be necessary when the teeth in the back of your mouth are impacted. Impacted teeth can assume many positions as they attempt to find a pathway to erupt successfully. This can cause misalignment and other problems such as head and neck pain, and even illness.

When you come in for your oral exam with Dr. Herrera, he may take x-rays of your mouth and evaluate the position of the wisdom teeth to determine if you might encounter any problems in the future. Early evaluation and treatment is essential for achieving superior results, and may prevent a number of orthodontic problems down the road. Dr. Herrera may include tooth extractions as part of your treatment plan.

Most patients are evaluated in the mid-teenage years by their general dentist, orthodontist, or oral surgeon. Wisdom tooth surgery is typically performed on an outpatient basis under anesthesia to ensure maximum patient comfort.

Dr. Andres Herrera, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon in Salinas and Freedom, CA, offers advanced oral surgery techniques and procedures. Dr. Herrera's advanced education and experience is applied to each patient's unique needs and individualized treatment plans. He offers a variety of restorative options including dental implants, All-on-4 Implants, bone grafting, sinus lifts, and Teeth-in-an-Hour. Additional surgical procedures include wisdom teeth removal, cleft palate and lip treatment, corrective jaw surgery, and impacted canine surgery.

Many people avoid going to the dentist because they experienced traumatic care as a child, suffered painful procedures as an adult, or are influenced by the stereotypes they see on TV and movies. Even when they experience warning signs like pain in the mouth, many people avoid seeking treatment because of the fear they experience. At our office we understand these feelings and want to help. Whether you just need a routine cleaning or a brand-new smile, we offer sedation dentistry to make your experience comfortable and relaxing.

Dr. Herrera trained in all aspects of anesthesia administration. Dr. Herrera completed 6 years of training at Loyola University at Chicago with extensive training on the medical anesthesiology service, during which he acquired the competency to evaluate patients for anesthesia, delivering the anesthetic, airway management, establishing intravenous lines, and managing complications and emergencies that may arise during the administration of anesthesia.

During your procedure, one or more of the following methods may be used to provide a relaxing and calming experience: local anesthesia, nitrous oxide ( laughing gas), intravenous light sedation, and general anesthesia. Commonly, patients describe their feelings during procedures as comfortable and surprisingly pleasant

1. Simplicity: We are inspired to simplify the complexity of our systems, with the goal of making every patient interaction easy, pleasant and accurate . Our short term goal is to improve their customer experience by integrating all the technology and all the specialities of dentistry under just one roof .

2. Integrity: we believe that the way we do business is as important as the business we do. Our actions represent our values. We are expected to be role models and visibly demonstrate these values in our daily work.

5. Respect: We respect diversity and cultural differences. We respect our patients, their time and their goals. Disagreements are dealt with openly, so the group gains strength from conflict, rather than be weakened by it.

In our practice, we constantly strive to provide our patients with the finest dental care available. Our investment in advanced technology means a long-term investment in your future. State-of-the-art technology invites informed decision-making and enables patients to make wise choices concerning their oral health. Dr. Herrera offers the latest technology for your benefit.

Finally, we are one of the few oral and maxillofacial surgery offices in the area to provide CT scan technology for our patients. CT scan technology allows Dr. Herrera to radiographically examine specific areas of the jaw bone in all three dimensions. This is particularly important in cases of implant placement, cyst or tumor surgery, and in difficult extraction cases. This new technology provides additional information that regular x-rays do not, thus allowing a more comprehensive diagnosis and accurate treatment plan.

Building upon a well-respected and established practice that served the needs of numerous individuals as well as several generations of local families for more than 30 years, we have designed a new, state of the art facility to provide an expanded scope and more sophisticated services and procedures for our patients for years to come. Our new facility, located at 546 abbott in Salinas, CA; represents the most modern, multi-specialty, and comprehensive oral surgery center in the greater Monterey peninsula area.

Great care has been put into the design of our new facilities to provide a professional, yet comfortable and calming environment that is not only aesthetically pleasing, but includes the most comfortable surgical chairs and state of the art monitoring systems for surgical procedures that require sedation or anesthesia. We provide the patient not only with the most comfortable surroundings, but also the safest and most controlled operating environment possible. With patient comfort and safety for surgical procedures at the forefront, our new operating center has been built upon the requirements for modern ambulatory surgery centers and will be fully certified by JCHO.

Providing our patients with the most state of the art technologies is another one of our key goals. The construction of our new facility also incorporated state of the art virtual and digital imaging systems including the newest 3-D cone-beam tomography scanning technology, together with computer-guided implantology software. Together, these services enable us to provide our patients with the most technologically advanced and most precise diagnosis and treatment planning available today.

Lastly, we are also highly committed to the preservation of our environment and are conscious of the impact of our facility on local surroundings and ecosystems. Our new facility is built on green technology platforms and incorporates eco-friendly elements including LED lighting, rain water collection systems, solar energy systems, and ultra-high efficiency heating and cooling systems. In 2014, our new facility will be officially listed as a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified building.

My name is Dr. Andrs F. Herrera. I was born and raised in Colombia. Im a Board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon who received my Doctorate in Dental Surgery degree from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in 1994. I completed a six year Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery residency at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago, IL. After completing my residency in 2003, I joined Loyolas staff as an Assistant Professor of Surgery until December of 2005.I was pleased for theopportunity to join a world class organization focused on research, educationand patient care. I am a diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeryand a diplomate of the American Association of Dental Anesthesiology.My hobbies include painting and dining.

In addition to working with two of the respected leaders of the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery community, at Loyola I received extensive training and professional practice in facial trauma and reconstruction, orthognathic surgery, nerve repair, advanced dental implant placement, cosmetic surgery and esthetic oculoplastic surgery.

I have devoted my professional career to all aspects of oral and maxillofacial surgery practice and I do know that my experience at Loyola gives me the breath of knowledge, clinical reasoning and excellent surgical skills to offer the best for my patients. To keep abreast of the latest developments in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, I have always exceeded the continuing education requirements of my specialty. In addition, during my residency and time as faculty, I was able to publish several scientific papers in peer reviewed journals of my field. In addition, I presented in multiple local and national scientific meetings.

American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery American Dental Association American Dental Society of Anesthesiology California Association of Oral Surgeons California Dental Association Monterey Dental Society