What is reconstructive oral surgery, and when would we recommend this procedure? Our Halifax dentists explain some of the signs that reconstructive oral surgery may be beneficial, and when patients might need it.
What is reconstructive oral surgery?
Accidents happen every day – from falls to incidents at work, sports injuries, car accidents or facial trauma, an injury to your teeth and mouth can be scary and stressful. They can also impact your long-term oral health.
A dentist may recommend this dental surgery procedure to restore the appearance and function to your smile.
Facial reconstruction surgery can be broken into two distinct categories: soft tissue injuries and fractures.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissue injuries cover trauma to the gums or skin, such as cuts on the tongue, lips or inside of your cheek. These may also include lacerations to the hard or soft palate.
Fractures
If the tiny bone tissue in your mouth is injured - including the teeth, upper or lower jaw or facial bones - they could need reconstruction.
If you’ve suffered severe facial injuries to the forehead or nasal cavities you might require a larger reconstructive surgery.
As you might imagine, acquiring a jaw defect as a result of trauma or earlier surgery (e.g. ablative tumour surgery) can drastically impact your quality of life in terms of appearance and function – everything from swallowing and eating to speaking, appearance and self-confidence are affected.
You might require 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 a dentist or 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.
Though reconstructive oral surgery can sound intimidating, our dental team at Gladstone Dental Centre is here to answer any questions you may have and address concerns throughout treatment.