Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is a surgical specialty which involves both dental and medical surgical treatments. It diagnoses and treats diseases, deformities, injuries and cosmetic defects of the facial and oral region. OMFS are considered the orthopedic and plastic and reconstructive experts of the Maxillofacial region (the upper jaw, cheek bones, the bones that support and surround the eyes, lower jaw, chin, jaw joints, associated facial structures, and the intra-oral structures including teeth and their supporting bone and gum tissues, salivary glands, and lining tissues of the mouth).
Oral and Maxillofacial education begins after completion of dental school and may include a hospital based internship as a prerequisite. Completion of an OMFS residency requires 4-6 years of hospital based training focusing solely on the maxillofacial region. The residency includes medical training and rotations such as neurosurgery, critical care medicine, emergency room, internal medicine, general surgery, pediatric surgery and plastic surgery. OMFS residents also receive training in the administration of out-patient anesthesia and are required to administer hundreds of anesthetics during their residency training.
Dental implants are becoming more and more popular, and its easy to understand why. Theyre convenient, lifelike and aesthetically pleasing. Here is a quick overview of the top five reasons why dental implants are a great remedy for tooth loss.
1)Dental implants are structurally complete. After the oral surgeon places the dental implant in the jaw, it becomes a permanent fixture in the mouth through a process known as osseointegration. That is, the surrounding bone fuses with the titanium implant, and as the end result, the implant becomes a root-like structure. Dental implants are the only tooth replacement device that have a physical link with the underlying jawbone.
2)Dental implants are stable over time, with proper care. Because the implant can act like a root, it helps to prevent jawbone erosion that unfolds when a tooths root is no longer present. That erosion changes the shape of the jaw, and a conventional appliance, like a denture or dental bridge can lose its fit over time.
3)Dental implants preserve more of the biological tooths functioning. Again, the connection between the bone and the implant is essential here. The implant can tolerate strong chewing forces necessary to process crunchy foods, like many fresh fruits and vegetables, preserving a patients capacity for adequate nutritional intake.
4)Dental implants are convenient to maintain. Dental implants do not require support from surrounding teeth, so theres no structure that restricts access to the gum line. You can brush and floss with your dental implants just like you do with your natural teeth.
Your teenager might not want to hear this, but summer is the ideal time to schedule their surgery. After a wisdom teeth extraction, there is a necessary period of recovery. During school year, this could mean a few days or even a week of missed classes. Scheduling the surgery during summer can help your children concentrate on resting and recovering without stressing on missed assignments.
If your children are late teens and leaving for college, now is the time to plan wisdom teeth removal. The last thing you would want to deal with is a phone call from your child in terrible pain from wisdom teeth eruption.
3 WARNING SIGNS OF IMPACTED WISDOM TEETH Wisdom teeth can drive patients to the brink of desperate pain relief. One sign of pain in the back of the jaw usually means impacted wisdom teeth. There are an array of symptoms and signs that will alert you something is not right. Once you have an assumption something is wrong, its time to take action!
