Surgery that is performed on the hard or soft tissues within the mouth is called oral surgery. It may involve the gums, teeth, or bone. Oral surgery may be necessary to treat a defect, disease, or an injury.

Some patients will never need a surgical procedure. The staff at Alex Bell Dental knows you and your health history. In addition to your routine dental needs, our associates are skilled and well-qualified to handle a variety of oral surgical procedures, including sedation.

One common oral surgical procedure is wisdom tooth extraction. Wisdom teeth are the final set of molars most adults get. Since they are the last teeth to grow in, they may crowd other teeth, be misaligned, or even impacted (meaning that they cannot break through the soft tissues of the gum). Removing wisdom teeth at one time meant a stay in the hospital. Now, you can have the extractions done at your regular dental office, and return home in relative comfort.

Extraction of any tooth that is un-restorable is also considered an oral surgery.

Sometimes we need to actually change the topography of the bone – supplement or modify it to better support the teeth or a restoration. That’s another type of oral surgery, a bit more extensive than an extraction.

A dental implant, which is an artificial root made of titanium, placed in the jawbone to hold a crown or denture because a tooth is missing is, again, an example of oral surgery.

Even some root canal procedures (removal of the pulp chamber of a badly decayed tooth) can be considered oral surgery.

All are within our focus at Alex Bell Dental.

More exotic orthodontic surgeries, such as adjusting the size of the jaw, must be done in a hospital. If you require this type of procedure, Dr. Cobb can provide a referral to a qualified specialist.