Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is a medical and dental specialty of surgery which involves the diagnosis, surgery and adjunctive treatment of diseases and defects involving both the functional and aesthetic aspects of the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region. (American Dental Association)
More simply put in layman’s terms, the oral and maxillofacial surgeon is the orthopedic surgeon of the facial region. He or she is an individual who addresses problems ranging from the removal of impacted teeth to the repair of facial trauma. He or she may be a doctor you would visit to:
- Have a tooth extraction.
- Have your “wisdom teeth” removed while you are sleeping peacefully with ambulatory anesthesia.
- Have teeth replaced by having dental implants inserted.
- Have oral surgical procedures performed in the office under outpatient ambulatory anesthesia.
- Have a jaw cyst or tumor diagnosed, removed and reconstructed.
- Have your jaw aligned with orthognathic surgery.
- Have your jaw joint repaired with TMJ surgery.
- Have jaw reconstruction following cancer surgery.
- Have your facial bones realigned after facial trauma.
- Have a tissue biopsy to determine specific oral pathology.
- Have a consultation to determine whether you are a candidate for cosmetic surgery.
- Have a cone beam scan (CT scan) for the placement of dental implants using CAD CAM treatment planning.
- Have an impacted tooth exposed and bracketed for the orthodontist so he can coach the tooth into its normal position.
- Have a block bone graft placed to allow for the future placement of dental implants.
- Have a sinus lift graft performed so that dental implants can be used to reconstruct missing teeth in the upper jaw.
- Enhance your facial aesthetics via a chemical peel, or an injectable solution such as botox or dermal filler.