Most individuals often feel frightened about having to undergo dental surgery to treat a dental problem, but surgery is sometimes the only solution to their problem. Here is a look at some common dental treatments that involve undergoing surgery:
Root Canal
This type of dental surgery is performed to extract diseased, damaged or dead pulp. Tooth pulp is the small, soft tissue at the centre of a tooth. Some common causes of pulp damage or deterioration include severe tooth decay and tooth injuries. Patients who suffer from a pulp infection often complain about experiencing tooth sensitivity, toothache and poor biting and chewing.
As the infection spreads, the pulp continues dying and the aforementioned symptoms tend to fade away. The affected tooth then seems to have been healed, while in fact, the infection has only progressed through the entire root canal. If root canal surgery is not performed early enough, the affected tooth might not be saved.
Dental Implant
These are dental appliances inserted into the jawbone to serve as replacements for removed root canals. Whether or not a patient is eligible for dental implant surgery depends on the health and condition of their jawbone. For someone to qualify for this type of treatment, they must have enough bone tissue in their jaw.
In case there isn't enough jawbone, bone grafting may be required before a dental implant procedure can be performed. Bone grafting involves removing a piece of bone from another part of the body, such as the hip or chin, and transplanting it to the jawbone through the incision. With time, new bone grows over the graft material and replaces it completely.
To determine whether or not a patient has enough bone tissue in their jaw, a dentist can conduct diagnostic tests and examinations such as dental X-rays and CT scans.
Tooth Removal
Many people don't consider tooth extraction to be a surgical procedure when it is in fact one. Tooth removal involves pulling out a tooth from its socket and is usually performed as a last resort when it has been established that nothing can be done to save the patient's tooth. Tooth removal surgery ranges from simple to complex extractions, depending on patient-specific dentition.
If you have specific concerns regarding any type of dental surgery, feel free to talk to your dental surgeon about them. Dental surgeons know what needs to be done to ensure safe and effective surgical treatment for each patient.
