What Oral Surgeries Does a General Dentist Perform?

Oral surgery involves incisions, excisions and sutures to the structures of the mouth, some of them in or around the teeth. Some oral surgeries are as common as wisdom tooth extraction. Others are as complex as cleft palate repair.

The specialists that perform oral surgery

The number and variety of dental surgical procedures point to specialization. For example, periodontists are the go-to specialists for gum flap surgeries. Endodontists handle surgical procedures that treat the inner tooth. Then there are the oral and maxillofacial surgeons who fix problems that range from dental implant surgery to lump removal to the surgical correction of jaw fractures.

Do general dentists feature anywhere on this list? As a matter of fact, they do. General dentists perform minor oral surgeries in the following situations:

1. Tooth extraction

A general dentist extracts teeth all the time. These extractions range from badly damaged incisors or canines to molars. Sometimes the teeth that a general dentist extracts are partially erupted due to obstruction from teeth, gum tissue or bone.

In such cases, a general dentist may make small incisions into the gum. These small surgical cuts allow the dentist to grip the partially erupted or impacted tooth to pull it out. The dentist may have to go a step further and remove any obstruction to the problem tooth.

There are patients with painful wisdom teeth that either grow horizontally or sit under layers of gum and bone. Extracting such teeth requires surgery to expose the tooth. Surgery may involve opening the gums as well as a layer of the jawbone. A general dentist will refer such patients to an oral surgeon.

2. Root canals

General dentists perform plenty of root canals. However, not all root canal procedures are made equal. Some patients have straightforward root canal anatomies that allow a general dentist to access and remove all infection in the inner tooth. The success rate for such patients is high.

Other patients have complex root canal anatomies that increase the likelihood of failure. That is where an endodontist or oral surgeon steps in to perform intensive procedures like the apicoectomy. Removing the tips of tooth roots is a more complex procedure that requires a specialist. It then follows that a general dentist will refer patients with complex tooth root anatomies to the appropriate specialist.

Dental implant surgeries

The placement of dental implants requires the placement of small, biocompatible screws in the jawbone. These screws connect to abutments, which in turn connect to dental restorations or prosthetics.

Dental implant surgery is a fairly intensive oral surgery that is usually the preserve of oral surgeons and periodontists. However, some general dentists pursue in-career training that equips them with the skill and knowledge to install dental implants.

This means that it is possible to find a general dentist with the skill to place dental implants. Prospective patients judge the skill level of such dentists based on the dentist’s list of happy patients.

A general dentist points you in the right direction

Before oral surgery becomes a prospect, you will need an accurate diagnosis. You will also need an explanation of all your treatment options. This is where our general dentist comes in.

Our dentist has years of experience in the diagnosis and treatment of oral health problems. Make an appointment to find if oral surgery is the approach that gets your old smile back.

Request an appointment here: https://www.soalsmiles.com or call South Alabama Smiles at (251) 206-6339 for an appointment in our Mobile office.

Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: Oral Surgery in Mobile, AL.