The idea of surgery can be intimidating, especially Oral Surgery in Short Hills NJ, but understanding the various types of oral surgical procedures may offer some reassurance. There are a few procedures that are widely performed and quite common. The following offers a brief overview of a few types of oral surgeries.
Wisdom Teeth Removal
By their senior year of high school, most individuals have all 32 of their adult teeth. It is around the age of 18 that the third molars or “wisdom teeth” start to erupt through the gums. They are so named because of the late age at which they appear. Even though an adult mouth has 32 teeth, most people are more comfortable with 28 teeth. Because they erupt later, the wisdom teeth are often misaligned or don’t fully emerge, causing pain and discomfort. The teeth become impacted, which can lead to infection and bone and jaw complications. Hence, the need to extract the problematic teeth.
Dental Implants
Many individuals at Westfield Oral Surgery are choosing dental implants over bridges, crown, and dentures. Dental implants offer a permanent solution to replacing missing teeth due to accidents or trauma, bone loss, or infection. One of the advantages of dental implants is that the surgically implanted metal post eventually fuses with the supporting bone and gum tissue. The caveat being that the procedure is best-suited for those with sufficient supporting bone, not predisposed to infections, and who maintain diligent oral hygiene habits.
Sleep Apnea
More than 90 million adults in the U.S. snore occasionally, and almost 40 million people snore on a nightly basis. Snoring may be indicative of serious problems. The most concerning of these is obstructive sleep apnea or OSA which interrupts sleep patterns and reduces blood oxygen levels. When traditional methods to reduce or eliminate snoring fail, many individuals seek relief through oral surgery. Common procedures include targeting the soft palate and uvula by removing or reducing the tissues or through more complex procedures involving re-positioning the upper and lower jaw to enlarge the airway.
Other reasons for Oral Surgery in Short Hills NJ include the need for biopsies, jaw surgery for TMJ-related problems, or reconstructive procedures due to blunt-force trauma. Sometimes oral surgery is required to address congenital deformities like cleft palate or cleft lip or misaligned jaw growth. These are necessary procedures as these conditions impact one’s ability to speak, chew, eat, swallow, and breathe.
