Beaufort Oral Surgery Definitions
What is Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery?
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is the specialty of dentistry that includes the diagnosis, surgery, and related treatment of diseases, injuries, and defects involving both the functional and esthetic aspects of the hard and soft tissues of the head, mouth, gums, jaws, and neck.
What is an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon?
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons are dental specialists who treat conditions, defects, injuries, and esthetic aspects of the mouth, teeth, jaws, and face. Their training includes a four-year post-graduate doctorate degree in dentistry and the completion of a minimum four-year hospital surgical residency training program.
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons care for patients who experience such conditions as problem wisdom teeth, surgical extractions of teeth, and misaligned jaws. They treat accident victims suffering from facial injuries, offer reconstructive and dental implant surgery, and care for patients with tumors and cysts of the jaws and functional and esthetic conditions of the maxillofacial areas.
With specialized knowledge in pain control and advance training in anesthesia, the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon is able to provide quality care with maximum patient comfort and safety in the office setting. This is accomplished through appropriately administering local anesthesia, all forms of sedation, and general anesthesia, which is titrated to each individual patient’s anesthetic need. This anesthesia technique provides the patient with a very relaxed state of mind and varying degrees of amnesia throughout the procedure, helping to decrease the overall stress of having to visit an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon.
What is Periodontal (Gum) Disease?
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| Periodontal Disease |
Periodontal diseases, including gingivitis and periodontitis, are serious infections that, left untreated, can lead to tooth loss. The word “periodontal” literally means “around the tooth.” Periodontal disease is a chronic bacterial infection that affects the gums and bone supporting the teeth.
Periodontal disease can affect one tooth or many teeth. It begins when the bacteria in plaque (the sticky film that constantly forms on your teeth) causes the gums to become inflamed.
In the mildest form of the disease, the gums redden, swell, and bleed easily. There is usually little or no discomfort. Gingivitis is usually caused by inadequate oral hygiene. Gingivitis is reversible with professional treatment and good oral home care.
Untreated gingivitis can advance to periodontitis. With time, plaque can spread and grow below the gum line. Toxins produced by the bacteria in plaque irritate the gums. The toxins stimulate the body’s inflammatory response, and the tissues and bone that support the teeth are broken down and destroyed. Gums separate from the teeth, forming pockets (spaces between the teeth and gums) that become infected. As the disease progresses, the pockets deepen and more gum tissue is destroyed. Often, this destructive process has very mild symptoms. Eventually, the supporting structures of the teeth become so compromised that they may have to be removed.
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| Mild Periotontitis | Advanced Periotonitits |
What is a Periodontist?
A Periodontist is a dental specialist that has completed a four-year post-graduate doctorate program in dentistry and also completed an additional three years of specialty training in diagnosing, preventing, and treating gum disease. Periodontists can also perform cosmetic periodontal treatments, as well as reconstructive gingival soft tissue procedures.
Hospital Medical Park
968 Ribaut Road
Suite #3
Beaufort, SC 29902
Office: (843) 525-0900
Fax: (843) 525-0380
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