Dentoalveolar Surgery

Apical Surgery

Apical surgery is used as an adjunct to root canal treatment. Root canal treatment is usually undertaken by a Dentist or Endodontist if the pulp (nerve) in the tooth is infected. This infection may spread to cause an abscess beneath the tooth root. Untreated, an abscess will slowly enlarge and ultimately result in a more serious infection.

Surgery to remove the infection in the bone below the tooth is called apical surgery. Apical surgery may involve removal of the abscess, part of the infected tooth root and a filling placed in the apex of the tooth root to seal the root in an effort to prevent the infection recurring.

Pre-prosthetic Surgery

A prosthesis is an object used to replace natural tissue, such as a denture, a bridge or a crown. Pre-prosthetic surgery is a procedure used to improve the shape of hard or soft tissues of the oral cavity to allow for a better fabrication and fitting of the prosthesis.

The most common type of pre-prosthetic surgery is removal of excessive soft tissue that has formed in association with a poorly fitting denture. Removal of the excessive soft tissue allows a new denture to be constructed with improved comfort and stability.

Some people have problems with the shape of their jaw bone and so fitting a denture without the removal of a bone lump would cause issues with mouth ulcers and pain when wearing the denture. The most common places to have excessive bone are in the midline of the hard palate and on the tongue and side of the lower jaw. These bone lumps are referred to as a torus.

Exposure of Impacted Teeth

Exposure of impacted teeth is sometimes needed to assist an Orthodontist who is correcting dental crowding. The most common tooth that is impacted (apart from the third molar teeth), is a maxillary canine tooth.

In order to move these teeth into the correct position in the oral cavity, it is often necessary for a surgical procedure to be performed. This usually involves removal of a small amount of overlying tissue to expose the crown of the impacted tooth, and then an orthodontic bracket with a chain attached is glued to the surface of the impacted tooth.

Your Orthodontist is then able to exert gentle force on the impacted tooth via the chain allowing movement of the impacted tooth into its correct position in the oral cavity.

Fraenectomy/Tongue-tie

Tongue -tie is a condition present at birth that restricts the tongue's range of motion. With tongue-tie, an unusually short, thick or tight band of tissue (lingual frenulum) tethers the bottom of the tongue's tip to the floor of the mouth. A person who has tongue-tie might have difficulty sticking out his or her tongue. Tongue-tie can also affect the way a child eats, speaks and swallows, as well as interfere with breast-feeding. Sometimes tongue-tie may not cause any problems but then some cases may require a simple surgical procedure for correction known as a lingual fraenectomy, which is the removal of a band of tissue, or lingual frenulum, that connects the underside of the tongue with the floor of the mouth.