Procedures

Wisdom teeth are the most rear molars that commonly don’t emerge through the gums until the late teens, or even later in life. If your jaw doesn’t have enough room for the wisdom teeth to come through, they may become crammed or impacted or not emerge from the gums at all. Wisdom teeth can cause pain, infection, decay, and other problems, so dentists often recommend their removal.

Sometimes the removal can be done “in the chair” by a general dentist, but an Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon will be better equipped to handle the more complicated ones. Wisdom tooth removal is usually a half-day procedure and doesn’t require a hospital stay. It may be performed under general or local anaesthesia.

Implants are used to replace missing teeth and can be indistinguishable from your real teeth. The procedure involves inserting titanium screws into the jaw bone to provide an anchor for the prosthetic tooth, bridge or denture.

Implants are not suitable for everyone in one simple operation because they require enough bone to properly integrate the implant. In some cases, bone grafting or a sinus lift will need to be performed.

Implants may require several procedures. For example, damaged teeth may need to be removed first, and there needs to be healing time before the implant surgery. Following the successful implant healing, the crown or bridge can then be attached.

Surgery is often required on the teeth and gums to allow successful fitting of dentures. This is known as pre-prosthetic surgery and typically includes the removal of teeth or root remnants, removal of excessive soft tissue, or smoothing of bony lumps to allow for the precise fitting of a denture.

In some cases, we can fit the dentures on the day of surgery but usually a few weeks of healing may be required.

We can treat pathological diseases of the mouth, jaws, and gums. Our expertise includes pathology such as cystic lesions within the jaw bones which often originate from impacted teeth. Common issues, such as lumps or bumps on the gums, are often referred by your dentist to us for specialist assessment and treatment.

Typically, we will perform a biopsy. Depending on the site and size of the affected area, the biopsy is carried out under local or general anaesthesia.

We take great care in treating physical injuries to the face, especially where the jaw or facial bones are fractured. The most common causes of facial trauma are motor vehicle accidents, sporting and work-related injuries.

Typically, lower jaw injuries require immediate treatment. Fractures to the upper jaw or eye-socket are commonly left for 7-10 days to allow the swelling to subside.

Most facial trauma surgery will require a general anaesthetic and a hospital stay. Titanium mini-plates and screws are often required, and the jaw may need to be fixed shut in some cases.