Do you have questions about your options for oral surgery? Schedule a consultation with the qualified, experienced oral surgeons on staff at the Center for Oral & Facial Surgery, which has been serving San Diego County since 1927. The next step is to educate yourself before your appointment. Check out these articles to learn more:
A wisdom tooth extraction is one of the most common oral surgery procedures. This article from the Mayo Clinic walks you through the steps of the process.
Which conditions may make you a candidate for oral surgery? WebMD discusses several common reasons why dental patients require surgery.
Dental implants offer an excellent way to not only replace missing teeth, but also prevent facial bone loss. Read up on this procedure at MissingTeeth.org.
Call the Center for Oral & Facial Surgery at (619) 312-4417 for answers to any additional oral surgery questions you may have or to schedule an appointment.
"Dr. Gile is excellent. He is very friendly and knowledgable. He explains everything that is going on in whatever detail you request." Check out the whole Yelp review below!
If you’ve been considering Botox Cosmetic injections but aren’t sure whether the procedure is right for you, watch this video featuring an interview with an experienced cosmetic dermatologist.
When used appropriately, Botox can be a good treatment for over-active facial muscles that cause wrinkles. Botox can lessen the frown lines that develop between the eyebrows or in other areas, resulting in a more vital, youthful appearance. Only when Botox is overused can it potentially result in a frozen, mask-like look. This video advises patients to seek providers whose work results in no wrinkles but does not hinder your ability to express yourself.
The most important aspect of selecting a provider of Botox is choosing an experienced medical professional. At the Center for Oral & Facial Surgery in San Diego, our doctors are all board-certified surgeons with many years of experience in oral surgery and facial reconstruction. Contact us (619) 312-4417 to schedule a consultation.
If you’re recovering from facial trauma or receiving dental implants, you may be a candidate for bone grafting. This innovative procedure uses the body’s own ability to re-grow bone to help make your oral surgery a success.
Preparing for Implants One of the most common reasons for bone grafting is to prepare for dental implants. When you lose a tooth, the jawbone below it begins to atrophy. Your oral surgeon needs to rebuild that supportive platform in order to attach dental implants. Bone grafting allows the grafted material to fuse together with your existing bone, providing the needed support structure.
Preventing Bone Loss Your oral surgeon might use bone grafting to prevent atrophy before it starts. This is called socket preservation, and surgeons use this technique when a tooth must be extracted. When graft material is placed in the socket after extraction, it prevents fast-moving gum tissue from filling in the space. This allows bone cells time to grow so that your jaw will be ready to receive implants.
Raising the Sinus Cavity If you’ve lost upper teeth, your oral surgeon may use bone grafting on the floor of your sinus cavity. After tooth loss, these hollow sinus cavities located just above your back teeth may only be separated from the mouth by a very thin wall of bone. If the sinus wall is too thin, placing dental implants may be impossible. To counteract this, surgeons operate on the floor of the sinus cavity, adding bone graft materials that will allow for implants to be placed.
Repairing Injuries A severe injury, such as from a traffic collision or other trauma, can sometimes necessitate facial reconstructive surgery. Bone grafting can be necessary if your own bone structure has been severely compromised. When bone graft material is placed, your bone will regenerate around it, supporting long-term reconstructive efforts.
Bone grafting is a complex process, but at the Center for Oral & Facial Surgery, all our doctors, surgical staff, and nurses have extensive training and experience. Call us at (619) 312-4417, or visit one of our two San Diego County locations to get a complete explanation of what to expect from your oral surgery.
Dental implants offer a unique way to treat patients who have lost one or several teeth. When oral surgeons install dental implants, they not only replace the visible portion of the tooth, but also create a replacement root that is secured in the jaw. A dental implant is the most long-lasting, natural-looking solution available.
Phase One: Initial Consultation The first step in receiving dental implants is visiting your dentist, who will examine your mouth and review your medical history. Next, you’ll be referred to an oral surgeon for further evaluation. The most important part of this phase is to determine the amount and quality of bone available to support your dental implants.
Phase Two: Site Preparation Your teeth do more than just grind up your food; the roots of your teeth actually stimulate your facial bones. When teeth are lost, the jaw begins to deteriorate through a process known as bone resorption. If you’ve lost too much bone, you may require bone grafting to provide a solid foundation for your replacement teeth.
Phase Three: Root Replacement Dental implants’ roots, or posts, are made from medical-grade titanium. At first, just the root portion of the implant is placed. It takes several weeks to months for the jawbone to grow around and secure the roots. During this period, the gum tissue will also heal around the placement site. Once the implants’ roots have adhered, abutments that will secure the replacement teeth are attached.
Phase Four: Tooth Attachment Finally, your dentist will fabricate permanent replacement teeth to attach to the abutments. These are created uniquely for each patient to provide an exact match in size, shape, and color. Unlike dentures or bridges, which have to be replaced every five years on average, dental implants can last 50 years.
At the Center for Oral & Facial Surgery, the oldest and largest oral and maxillofacial surgery practice in San Diego, we’re committed to your long-term oral health. We’d love to be a part of restoring your smile; call us at (619) 312-4417 to talk about whether dental implants are a good choice for you.
