Oral Surgery at Village Dental Care
When is a procedure considered oral surgery?
Most people think about dentistry and fillings and crowns and maybe some root canals and things like that. A lot of dentists also do oral surgery in their practice. Not all dentists, but really anything that involves an extraction, a simple extraction would be considered oral surgery. All the way to wisdom teeth. There could be situations where you have some trauma and a laceration of the lip, tongue, or cheek, and we have to do some suturing and clean it out first. That would be considered oral surgery.
There are procedures like apicoectomies where an incision has to be made and the tip of the root removed, and then things are closed back up. That would be oral surgery. Some other ones might include a frenectomy, where we have to remove the frenum either under the tongue or attached to a lip. A frenum is just a muscle attachment. There are a lot of other things, bone grafts, implants, and some reconstructive work if somebody has to have part of their jaw removed due to trauma, cancer, or a large cyst. Those are all various types of oral surgery.
What happens during oral surgery?
It really depends on the oral surgery, but generally speaking, we're going to numb the patient. Even before we numb the patient, we'll handle their anxiety if they have any. We might put the patient on laughing gas. Sometimes in my office, we'll give them a sedative pill. Some oral surgeons and some general dentists who are trained in IV sedation might give you an IV and sedate the patient that way. In my office, we'll either use laughing gas or a pill combined with the laughing gas to help our patients be comfortable. Then we're going to numb the patient. It's very important to do local anesthetic to numb the patient so they don't feel pain. Sedatives handle anxiety, not pain.
Once we've handled the patient's anxiety, then we numb the patient so they're ready for surgery. Then we just get into the procedure. It depends on what type of surgery they're having, which dictates the steps of that procedure. Sometimes there's an incision, sometimes there's not. Sometimes there's bone grafting and different biological membranes that might be placed to help the healing process. We just get into it, make sure that everything goes well, recover the patient, bring them off the gas, reduce their sedation, and get them ready to leave the facility and go home and start the healing process.
Can my regular dentist perform oral surgery?
One really good question that I get is, can my regular dentist perform oral surgery? The answer is it depends. It depends on the training of the dentist and the type of dentistry your dentist enjoys practicing. I have a lot of colleagues who don't like oral surgery at all, so they refer all oral surgery to the oral surgeon. That's their specialty. That's all they do.
In my office, I enjoy a variety of different procedures. I really have an interest in surgery. I've done surgery, starting with wisdom teeth at the very beginning of my career, and just added to the toolbox and training through my entire 29-year career to this point. Now we do some relatively complex surgical procedures, including all-on-X total tooth replacement with implant-supported bridges and dentures. With that, we get into sinus lifts and various bone augmentations and all the things that are required to be able to do that type of work with the implants.
Restore Your Oral & Overall Health
- Save yourself a trip to a specialist’s office
- Stay calm with sedation & comforting amenities
- Benefit from your dentist’s surgical experience
How should I prepare for oral surgery?
It all starts the day before. You want to hydrate really well and get a good night's sleep. Eat nutritious food. Good nutrition is going to help you speed up the recovery and have fewer problems during the recovery. Staying hydrated is important for that, too. Sometimes we'll even give the patient a sedative to make sure they sleep the night before, depending on the patient.
I'm a big fan of doing surgery in the morning so a patient can have little to no food. They go home, have the treatment done, and then have their first meal after they eat. Little to no food is optimal. If you're having a treatment later in the day, it's important not to eat anything for about four hours before the procedure.
Sometimes people get a little nauseous during surgery, and we don't want them throwing up. If they're sedated, we also don't want them aspirating their vomit. It's really important to have little to no food at least four hours before surgery. That's the best way to prepare.
Can I drive myself home after oral surgery?
The quick answer is, it depends. It depends on what you're having done, the complexity of the surgery, and whether you're sedated. I have my patients take a sedative pill an hour before the appointment. Don't drive. It's not safe. It's really important not to drive. We make sure our patients have a driver, and we know the driver's name and phone number before the date of the surgery. That's really important.
If you're coming in for a simple extraction, losing one tooth, or even placing an implant, and you're not going to be sedated, a lot of my patients drive, and they're just fine. In an ideal world, if everybody had a driver available, that's nice, but it's not an absolute requirement for the simpler routine procedures.
How can I minimize pain and discomfort after surgery?
That's a great question and really important because I want all my patients to be comfortable after surgery and not have any problems. The most important thing is to take the medication your dentist prescribes. In my office, we give our patient a loading dose of pain medication and antibiotics before we start the procedure, and then they'll start their prescription. Some doctors want their patients to start taking prescription medication a day or two in advance of the surgery. It really depends on the doctor, the treatment, and how things run in that practice. We all have a different level of experience doing different things. Just be sure to follow the instructions given to you by your doctor.
Once you get home, you'll want to continue the medication as described until it's gone. Most people are going to have some swelling and potential pain after surgery. The best thing you can do is rest. Don't do heavy lifting. Follow the post-op instructions that give you some dietary restrictions.
Generally speaking, for most surgeries, I don't want my patient using straws. There are reasons for that. I don't want them drinking anything acidic like orange juice, sodas, or energy drinks. Anything fizzy and carbonated, unless it's mineral water, has a high acidity level and can break down the clots and interrupt the healing. It can dissolve some of the biological materials and interfere with your comfort, optimal healing, and overall harm the effect of the treatment you had done. The result won't end up as good as you want.
Follow the instructions given to you by your dentist to make sure things go well. Rest, hydrate, avoid the foods you're not supposed to eat, and eat nutritious and soft foods so you don't stab the surgical site with a Dorito, for example. That would be painful and might cause the stitches to break open. Follow the instructions and you'll be fine.
How long does it take to recover from oral surgery?
Like many of the questions related to oral surgery, it depends. It depends on the treatment and the procedure. I'll have some patients where we do an extraction of a tooth or place an implant, and it's a minimally invasive technique. They don't have any pain or problems at all, no swelling, and they don't even take their pain meds, which is pretty easy. If we have to do something a little more invasive, anytime there's a scalpel and sutures involved, generally speaking, the surgical site has healed fairly well at two weeks. For most of the more complex procedures, I put my patients on restrictions for six weeks.
There are certain things they can do, but some things we don't want them doing for six weeks. The gum tissue, after it's laid open for surgery, takes six weeks to fully heal to a point that you can't cause any harm to it. It might take another two to three months to have the visible healing that we want to see in the mouth. Generally speaking, as far as the patient restrictions are concerned, it's somewhere between two and six weeks, depending on the treatment, if it's a little more complex.
Your Experienced Dentist Will Protect Your Oral Health
There are many reasons patients come to see us for oral surgical procedures. For example, if you are between the ages of 17 to 25, you are likely getting your wisdom teeth. You may need to have them extracted to avoid complications in your smile. Or if you want dental implants, you may need to improve your jawbone health before we place those artificial tooth roots in your mouth.
No matter why you need dental surgery, Dr. Hardcastle will ensure you understand fully the reasons before any kind of procedure. You’ll never feel pressured to have a treatment you don’t want or need.
Depending on your personal situation, he may recommend:
- Tooth Extraction – It’s always our goal to save a tooth rather than extract it. However, in order to avoid affecting other healthy teeth, an extraction procedure may be necessary. Dr. Hardcastle will remove the tooth as gently as possible, so you’ll barely feel a thing.
- Wisdom Tooth Removal – For some people, wisdom teeth come in without problems. Others may experience complications, making it necessary to remove these third molars. Your dentist will discuss if this is the right solution for you.
- Bone Grafting – If you want implants but have been missing teeth for quite some time, a bone grafting procedure will reverse the bone loss in your jaw and create a strong foundation for implants.
- Frenectomy – If your child is having trouble latching on during nursing, their frenum may be attached too tightly. A frenectomy procedure with a laser will quickly and easily remove this bit of skin under their tongue, make it easier for you and your child during nursing.
It’s understandable to feel nervous about a surgical procedure, but we’ll make sure you feel totally at ease during your appointment. We can offer sedation through laughing gas, which is safe even for children. We can also offer oral sedation with a small pill. You will need to arrange for a ride home with this option because its effects last several hours after your appointment.
We provide extra comforts such as pillows, blankets, warm towels, and lip balm. You can also watch relaxing videos on the big screens we have in our patient rooms.
We’d love to help you restore your smile with oral surgery in Dallas, TX. Call (972) 992-5223 for an appointment or request an appointment online.
Major advancements in dental technology benefit you as the patient. Dr. Hardcastle invests in the most up-to-date technology to makes your visits with us easier and more comfortable. You’ll benefit from:
- Soft Tissue Lasers – We use laser technology whenever possible to aid in your treatments. It results in quicker healing time and fewer complications, and avoids the need for stitches. It’s safe for children too!
- Digital X-rays – These X-rays expose you to less radiation than traditional X-rays. We are able to get a clearer image of your mouth, which guides our treatment planning.
- 3-D Imaging – When we’re preparing for a complicated procedure, such as oral surgery, 3-D imaging helps get a close look at the structure of your mouth and jaw.
- Intraoral Cameras – Patient education is a top priority, and Dr. Hardcastle can use an intraoral camera to show you what he sees when he looks inside of your mouth. Plus, it allows us to see things we can’t spot with the naked eye.
This is only the beginning! Our practice is always looking for ways to improve and be better than we were yesterday.
Preserve Your Smile With Oral Surgery in Dallas
When it comes to your smile, we take a conservative approach with any surgical procedures. We’ll only suggest a treatment if you absolutely need it. However, dental surgery may be necessary to improve or protect your oral health. If you do need oral surgery in Dallas, you can trust Dr. Hardcastle.
With his help, you can:
- Get out of pain so you can enjoy your life again
- Avoid creating problems with your healthy teeth and gums
- Strengthen your jawbone to prepare for dental implants
- Feel confident about your oral health
Call (972) 992-5223 for an appointment today. There’s no reason to see an outside oral surgeon when you choose us for your surgical needs!