We can divide the tissues in the mouth into two groups as soft and hard. Tongue, cheek, lips, salivary glands, etc. tissues form soft tissues. The jawbone, jaw joint and teeth are hard tissues. Oral, dental and maxillofacial surgery deals with the discomforts of all these hard and soft tissues.
What is Oral, Dental and Maxillofacial Surgery?
In the lower part of the face; Oral, dental and maxillofacial surgery is the branch of science that performs the necessary diagnostic and treatment procedures for the correction of injuries in the mouth, jaw and tooth region. Disorders in the mouth, teeth and jaw area can be caused by traumas, injuries or genetic factors in a certain period of life. After the examination carried out by doctors specialized in this field, you will be diagnosed and you can start treatment.
Oral, dental and maxillofacial surgery, which plays a role in the treatment of many oral injuries, from wear and tear on the teeth to pain in the jaw joint, deals with aesthetic problems as well as medical problems. Oral, dental and maxillofacial surgery, which is a solution to the phonetic problems seen with functional problems, is responsible for the lower part of the face.
Oral, dental and maxillofacial surgery covers a whole field. Specialists, who can resort to surgical operations in order to eliminate the discomforts in this area, help patients regain their health. The jaw is a very important joint for humans and it is important to carefully monitor the discomforts that occur in this joint. Because the jaw consists of two separate parts and the jaw joint works bilaterally. This distinguishes it from other joints. The upper part of the jaw, which consists of two parts, the upper and lower jaw, is connected to the skull. The lower jaw is connected to the skull with the jaw joint located in front of the ears. For this reason, diseases that develop in the jaw and tumors that develop and progress are very important. Disturbances that may occur in the jaw joint can also affect the skull to which the joint is directly attached. If you feel any problems in your jaw while eating, chewing and swallowing, while talking, you should definitely detect the damage in this area. You should apply to a specialist oral, dental and maxillofacial surgeon and start an oral, dental and maxillofacial surgery treatment program after the diagnosis of the disease.
Which Treatments Are Included in Oral, Dental and Maxillofacial Surgery?
Oral, dental and maxillofacial surgery includes the following treatments:
- Your wisdom teeth; extraction of impacted, complex or erupted teeth
- Surgical treatments of infections in the jaw, face and mouth area
- Diagnosis and surgical treatment of pain in the jaw and face area
- Treatments of salivary gland diseases
- Treatment of diseases in the soft tissues of the mouth
- Treatment of fractures in the face or jaw
- Treatment of infections in the root of the tooth, also known as apical resection
- Surgical treatments for the elimination of problems that cause functional and aesthetic disorders in the face, jaw and mouth area
- Arrangement of intraoral tissues required before prosthesis construction
- Treatment of bone necrosis due to radiotherapy and drugs applied within the scope of cancer treatment
- Dental implant applications and arrangement of tissues for implant application
- Treatment of cleft palate
- Treatment of cleft lip
- Cyst diagnosis
- Prosthetic procedure
- Treatment of traumatic tooth and dental support tissue injuries
- Treatment of congenital structural defects
- Preprosthetic surgery applications
Lip positioning is also performed within the scope of oral, dental and maxillofacial surgery . Lip positioning is applied for patients who are uncomfortable with the excessive appearance of their gums when they smile. In fact, there is no intervention on the lip in this procedure. The position of the upper lip is regulated by removing some of the visible gingival tissue. Lip positioning, which is done without touching the patient’s teeth and without making any changes in tooth size, is among the pink aesthetic applications. If you are uncomfortable with your gums showing too much when you smile, you can consider lip positioning.
For the lip positioning process within the scope of oral, dental and maxillofacial surgery, you should consult your specialist dentist and go through a certain control. Your gums play an important role in this control. Because your gums must be healthy for lip positioning. If there is already a health problem with your gums, the priority of treatment is to eliminate these problems. After the treatment is completed and the gums are healthy, lip positioning can be started.
What Should Be Known Before Oral, Dental and Maxillofacial Surgery Treatment?
- Since oral, dental and maxillofacial surgery treatments are for the disease, you can follow the necessary warnings by consulting your dentist. Depending on the type of treatment to be applied and the condition of the patient, surgical procedures are performed under local anesthesia, general anesthesia or conscious sedation in some cases.
- Before oral, dental and maxillofacial surgery treatment, if you have a chronic illness and a medication you take regularly, you should definitely share it with your surgeon. Blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and similar diseases; A history of allergies or problems encountered in dental treatments in the past should be shared with the oral, dental and maxillofacial surgeon. When the specialist surgeon asks you to learn about your medical history, you should not forget to provide this information.
- You should have the x-ray records you have taken, the tests you have given and the medicines you use with you during the entire treatment.
- Especially jaw surgeries are procedures in which anesthetic drugs that have important effects on the respiratory and circulatory system are used. Your oral, dental and maxillofacial surgeon may refer you to a specialist in a different field when necessary. In this action, which is defined as consultation, you should confidently move forward during the treatment by trusting your doctors.
- If local anesthesia will be performed in oral, dental and maxillofacial surgery, you should come to the operation on a full stomach unless otherwise told by your doctor.
- Although oral hygiene is important at all times, pre-operative hygiene is also extremely important. For this reason, you should definitely brush your teeth before coming to the surgery. If you have the opportunity, you can shave before the surgery. Not wearing make-up can also be beneficial in terms of surgery.
What Should Be Considered After Oral, Dental and Maxillofacial Surgery Treatment?
While your surgeon will inform you about what you should pay attention to after oral, dental and maxillofacial surgery, unless otherwise stated, the points you should pay attention to after chin surgery are:
- Oral, dental and maxillofacial surgery, which is performed under local anesthesia, usually includes operations such as impacted tooth extraction. Meticulous care of your wound speeds up the post-operative healing process. Of course, the main thing is the recommendations of your specialist surgeon who performed the surgery.
- After the surgery, a sterile tampon is placed in the surgical area. You should hold this tampon tightly for 30 minutes, that is, bite it.
- You can discard the tampon after 30 minutes after oral, dental and maxillofacial surgery. Light bleeding is usually considered normal after the first tampon is removed. However, spitting out the blood accumulated in the mouth and pressing the wound with your tongue may cause increased bleeding. Instead, you can swallow the blood lightly or slowly pass it out from the corner of the mouth. If there is heavy bleeding after the first tampon, you may need a second tampon and you should consult your doctor.
- You can start gargling and brushing your teeth 1 day after the surgery, and you can start eating 2 hours later. But you should prefer a light diet. If possible, you should not eat with the area where the surgery was performed. You should not consume foods that are very hot, very cold, extremely spicy, acidic, and snacks.
- You should not smoke for 1 week after the surgery. Because smoking can cause an infection called alveolitis to form in the surgical area.
If you need detailed information about oral, dental and maxillofacial surgery and want to get the right treatment, you can visit Klinik 34.