BWS Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Dental implants date back into the days of the Mayan empire. Recently a Mayan woman’s skeletal remains were dug up in Honduras. Inside of the woman’s mouth were implants made of sea shells. Archaeologists have also discovered teeth made of gold, silver, and ivory in the mouths of Ancient Egyptians.

Nowadays implants are made out of high-grade sterile titanium, similar to the material used to make NASA’s space shuttles. They fuse to the jawbone through a process called osseointegration. After the implant integrates, your dentist could put a tooth on it and restore your natural bite.

Even if you don’t know a lot of dental terminology, you can probably identify the upper canines. They are usually longer and pointier than the other upper front teeth. A smile without visible upper canines won’t look exactly right. In fact, the canines are so important both aesthetically and functionally, they are sometimes known as the cornerstones of the dental arches. They are also called eyeteeth because, when they grow in properly, they are located under the eyes. When they are impacted (simply meaning blocked from fully erupting), they may not be visible in the mouth at all.

Fortunately, with the help of minor oral surgery and orthodontics, impacted canines can be exposed and moved into the proper position. It is not uncommon for adult teeth to be crowded, creating an improper bite. Crowding means there is insufficient room for the teeth to erupt naturally into good alignment in order to create a good bite. Some teeth may actually become impacted, meaning that they grow and develop in positions that do not all them to erupt at all. Impacted teeth can develop abscesses, damage the roots of neighboring teeth, or become cystic over time. These issues are more commonly associated with wisdom teeth, which are often removed when they are impacted. Canines, however, are so prominent in the smile and so important to the bite, every attempt should be made to salvage and utilize them.

If the canine teeth are in reasonable position, they will need to be exposed and uncovered so that the orthodontist can attach orthodontic braces to them and move them into proper position. This requires a minor oral surgical procedure, usually carried out by an oral surgeon. The surgeon will numb the area around the impacted tooth with local anesthesia and then create a small opening in the gum tissue in order to see and gain access to the buried tooth.

Once the crown is exposed, the surgeon or orthodontist will bond a small bracket to it. The gum tissues are then placed back into position. Attached to the bracket is a small gold chain, which loops over orthodontic hardware attached to the teeth. This mechanism will pull the impacted canine teeth into proper position over a period of several months.

Many wonder why our third molars are referred to as “wisdom teeth,” have you ever wondered why? Typically, most people’s third molars will surface between the ages of 17 and 25, giving linguists the belief that they were given this name because they appear when you are older and wiser. This time of life has often been called the “Age of Wisdom!”

Often times, as your dentist or oral surgeon claim that your wisdom tooth or your child’s wisdom tooth are impacted, many will start to panic. No need to fret! This simply just means that for some reason the tooth remains stuck in the gum, or in both the bone and gum. Impacted wisdom teeth can occur for various reasons, many times, the area is just overcrowded and there is no room for the teeth to emerge. The wisdom teeth may also become twisted, tilted, or even displaced which will result in impaction.

       You may have heard the term “Dental Implants” in passing, or perhaps even a friend or relative has one and you’ve always wondered what the hype is all about. Do not be mistaken, this process is no hype! With credentials to support, Dental Implants have been said to be “modern dentistry’s best option for replacing missing teeth”. But is the process of a dental implant placement beneficial for you? Well, we’re glad you asked!

           It is easy to see the esthetic flaw a missing tooth leaves behind – but the trouble beneath the gums is more concerning to your trusted dental professional. With an open space left behind, greater problems may lie beyond the gums. Without the stimulation of a tooth, it is common for bone loss to occur in the area, as well as shifting of natural teeth.  Dental Implants are a great and permanent alternative to natural tooth replacement both functionally and esthetically. They have the same look, feel and function of your natural teeth, with the positive attribute of being insusceptible to cavities. The implant procedure has a long track record, and with proper care, may last a lifetime with a success rate exceeding 95%.

For many years, clinicians in various specialties of dentistry and medicine have been searching for materials that can accelerate and enhance bone and soft tissue healing, especially that of bone and soft tissue grafts. Recently, in both the oral surgical and the orthopedic literature, platelet-rich plasma has been shown to accelerate and enhance bone graft maturation and density.

We are proud to say that in our practice, we have taken on this progressive bone and soft tissue grafting technique. We now have the capability of using patients own chemical anatomy to produce strong, dense, bone, which aids in the placement of implants, and other oral maxillofacial procedures. We do this by drawing the patients’ blood, as one would for a blood test, then spinning the specimen down in a centrifuge. We then treat the specimen and create the necessary portions needed for the bone graft.  By using the patients’ own Platelet-derived growth factors, the patient can look forward to a shorter waiting period for bone growth development and more effective healing.

Computed tomography (CT), and the three- dimensional images it provides, were developed in 1973. The technology was amazing to the practitioners involved! Those practitioners were at a loss of how to apply CT, and had no idea of the profound effect it would have on the surgical and medical community. It took several years of development and a new segment of the specialty of Radiology, but CT has become an integral part of surgical treatment of patients today.

In our office, we recently updated our cone beam scanner (CT). Our new system allows for even faster scans with less radiation. It also grants an advantage most offices do not have, which is to have the ability to see a three dimensional view of our patients’ jaws before any procedure is performed. With this, we are able to view impacted teeth before they are removed; thereby decreasing their removal time. The technology also translates into less swelling and discomfort during your at home recovery period.

Our cone beam scan also allows for revolutionary placement of dental implants. We can plan the placement of dental implants on our computer prior to us bringing our patients in for surgery, Therefore, this allows proper implant placement, and your dentist can restore you back to the comfort of your natural teeth, as well as a beautiful smile.

The impact of laser technology has been rapidly growing since the mid-1960s when it was first introduced in the healthcare sector as a surgical tool. Using LASERS, short for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, we are now able to perform procedures on the soft tissues of the mouth with patients reporting less postoperative pain than traditional methods. The reason for this success is due to the fact that laser procedures minimize bleeding, swelling, scarring, and pain.

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