Oral surgery Avondale, AZ

Oral Surgery

Here at Desert Lake Family Dentistry, we are proud to offer oral surgery to our patients.

Oral surgery is considered a dental specialty. Only certain dentists go through the rigorous training and extra education that is required to be considered an oral surgeon. We are very excited to have oral surgeons who are exceptional at what they do!

Oral surgery involves any surgery to the oral cavity whether you suffer from dental disease, acquired injuries to your mouth, or have a defect.

Wisdom Teeth Extractions Avondale, AZ

Impacted Wisdom Tooth Extractions

Wisdom teeth are the last set of molars. Most people start to get their wisdom teeth when they are teenagers, though some teeth don’t come in until you are in your early twenties.

Wisdom teeth have a purpose. They are another set of molars, but more often than not they cause more problems than they are worth. Wisdom teeth can come in misaligned, facing any direction. They can even try to come in horizontally, growing into your other teeth. This can damage your nerves and even your jawbone.

There are also times when your wisdom teeth can become impacted and are not able to come through the gums. They can also come in partially, allowing food to catch in the area and cause plaque to build up. This can lead to bacteria and infection, which will only get worse.

Since wisdom teeth are often harmful, most dentists recommend their removal. The surgery goes much better if you get the teeth removed before any signs of problem. The recovery is easier also. Surgery and recovery are also easier when you are younger.

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Sedation dentistry Avondale, AZ

Sedation

Here at Desert Lake Family Dentistry, we are proud to offer different types of anesthetics to our patients to make their visits more comfortable.

The most common type of anesthetic used is a local anesthetic. This prevents pain in a specific part of a patient’s mouth and works by blocking the nerves to that area. We often use a topical anesthetic before using local anesthetic. This helps to numb the area before we inject the local anesthetic. This is most often used for procedures to fix cavities.

There are some patients who require more anesthetics, so we also offer sedatives. These are most effective if they are given before the procedure, but they can be given during it. There are different types of sedatives. Some are inhaled as a gas, though some come in pill form. Some sedatives need to be given intravenously.

There are times when a patient needs more anesthetic for a procedure because they are anxious or the procedure is painful. General anesthetics can be used in cases which require a loss of consciousness.

Whether you need local anesthetics or general anesthetics, feel free to discuss your case with your dentist. We want you to have an enjoyable visit and will do everything we can to help.

Contact us today at (623) 388-5888 for more information about the types of anesthesia we offer our clients or to schedule an appointment.

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Bone grafting Avondale, AZ

Bone Grafting

Regardless of the cause, when you lose a tooth, you may experience bone loss in your jawbone. The teeth stimulate the jawbone, so if you have lost one or more teeth, your jawbone will start to deteriorate. As time goes by, you may experience enough bone loss that dental implants won’t hold. If this is the case, we may recommend bone grafting.

Bone grafting is a procedure where we replace the missing bone in your jaw. There are three types: autogenous, allograft, and xenograft.

Autogenous grafts use bone from another part of your body, moving it to your mouth. Usually bone is removed from non-essential bones like your chin. By using your own bone, you are reducing the chance that your jawbone will reject it. It even prevents infection. Also, it is made up of active cellular material since it is still living.

Allografts use human bone but not your own. Instead, we use bone from cadavers who have donated their bones to bone banks. This is considered safe because the bone goes through rigorous testing before use.

Xenografts use bone from another source. The most commonly used source is cow bones.

The benefit of using either allografts or xenografts is that our patients will not have to have a second surgery to harvest their bone. Also, both sources are easily found so we will have plenty of bone for whatever you need.

Before we start, we use local anesthesia to numb the area where your bone will be removed and also in your mouth where the replacement bone is needed. We need to make an incision in your gums so we can see exactly how much bone is needed before we harvest your own bone or get bone from another source.

If we are harvesting bone from your chin, we will make another incision in the gums below your lower front teeth. This exposes the chin and we can remove the bone that we need, along with the marrow. We close this with stitches. After we remove the bone, we will place it where it is needed and screw it into the jawbone with titanium screws.

To help with the healing process, we may use bone marrow and bone-grafting material. We then stitch the incision closed.

After you have received a bone graft, you will need to go home with antibiotics and pain medication. You may need to eat soft food like pasta and JELL-O® while your mouth heals. It can take between six to nine months to completely heal. At that time, we will be able to place your dental implants in.

Don’t hesitate to contact us at (623) 388-5888 with any questions.

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Extractions Avondale, AZ

Extractions

An extraction is performed to remove a tooth, whether because of disease, crowding, or damage. When extractions are required, the area around the tooth will be numbed and your dentist will remove the tooth. A small amount of bleeding is normal, as your mouth will replace the removed tooth root by forming a blood clot in the area.

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