What does an oral surgeon do?

Oral surgery is the dental specialty which manages conditions in and around the mouth requiring surgery. Mr Josiah Eyeson is a leading oral surgeon, who specialises in dentoalveolar surgery, dental bone grafts, impacted teeth and salivary gland disease. Here he explains what oral surgeons do and how they differ from dentists.

When might I need to see an Oral surgeon?

There are a range of reasons why you may need to see an oral surgeon. These include the need to extract teeth and manage associated complications or to manage oral infections which could be teeth related. Additionally, you may have impacted teeth which need to be removed or you might require surgery to facilitate orthodontic (braces) treatment.

Oral surgeons also treat:

• Oral mucosal disease
• Oro-facial pain (e.g. temporomandibular disorder and dentoalveolar trauma)

What kind of procedures does an oral surgeon perform?

Procedures undertaken include all types of dental extractions. These are usually the difficult extractions of teeth or roots which your dentist is unable to undertake or come with significant potential complications. For example, an oral surgeon would carry out the removal of impacted teeth (e.g. wisdom teeth) which may be causing problems such as pain. They would also be needed to remove teeth as part of orthodontic (braces) treatment. For example, as part of orthodontic treatment it may be necessary to remove unerupted teeth may need to be surgically exposed as part of ongoing orthodontic treatment or to remove the labial frenum (the strand of oral mucosa connecting upper lip and gum).

Oral surgeons would also be required to carry out biopsies for cysts, oral mucosal disease, labial gland disease or any malignancies to aid diagnoses respectively. Additionally, they are responsible for managing benign salivary gland disease by removing salivary stones or cysts. If you are having dental implants, you may not have enough jaw bone to successfully place the new implants. If this is the case, an oral surgeon can work with your dentist or implantologist to carry out bone augmentation to aid the placement of the implant fixtures.

If you would like to see an oral surgeon, make an appointment with an expert.