Types of Oral Surgery

Oral surgery is simply any type of surgery which takes place inside your mouth (as opposed to cosmetic surgery which may be performed to your face). However, the training required to perform oral surgery successfully is rigorous and limited to oral surgeons and maxillofacial surgeons. Some types of oral surgery require the expertise of a maxillofacial surgeon, like Dr. Hamrah, in order to produce the best possible outcome.

Corrective and Reconstructive Jaw Surgery

Whether your jaw is misaligned because of TMD or if you have experienced trauma which has created jaw problems, you may require corrective jaw surgery or reconstructive jaw surgery. These may be similar in outcome but prompted by different types of misalignment or causes. The alignment of your jaws is important not only to your appearance, but to the health of your teeth and the rest of your body. If your jaws are misaligned, you may experience facial or neck pain, may be unable to speak comfortably, and may even be unable to eat.

Oral surgery to the jaws can affect your health and your outlook by removing pain and creating a better bite. Recovery is often similar to having your wisdom teeth extracted, but the end result is a marked improvement in your jaw alignment and your oral health.

Dental Implants

If you are missing teeth, dental implants can restore not only your smile, but also improve your ability to eat and enunciate. Dental implants function and look like your natural teeth, allowing you to chew naturally without the concern of caring for dentures or losing bite function. You can learn more by reading about partials versus dental implants.

Bone Grafting

Some patients find they are unable to support dental implants due to insufficient bone mass. However, bone grafting can replace and help generate new, healthy bone tissue to enable dental implant placement, or to replace bone tissue lost from oral cancer, surgery, or trauma. Bone grafting is only performed by a maxillofacial surgeon with extensive training, and can help repair a misshaped jaw. Dr. Hamrah may be able to use your own bone tissue, bone tissue from a bone bank, or an artificial substitute to complete your graft.

Nova Surgicare offers other types of oral surgery to patients throughout the Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, and Maryland areas. If you are a candidate for oral surgery or have questions about the types of oral surgery available, please contact Dr. Hamrah today in our McLean office.