By: Dr. Drew Shessel
The dreaded wisdom teeth removal, dental implant surgery, bone grafting….it all sounds pretty scary, and the truth is it’s no joke. Viral videos of loopy patients and pain filled recoveries are all too common.
But is there hope for a better experience?
If you’re in need of oral surgery in the Atlanta area, you are in luck! The team and doctors at Oral Surgery Specialists of Atlanta are trained and ready to make your experience as quick and painless as possible.
They offer a variety of oral surgery procedures that will fit many of your needs.
The oral and facial surgery procedures
Wisdom Teeth Removal: wisdom teeth are something that just about everyone has, but rarely are they found to be beneficial for healthy function. According to the ADA and the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, everyone should have their wisdom teeth evaluated. Our belief is that most patients should have their wisdom teeth removed to prevent pain, damage to their adjacent teeth, possible infection, as well as other potential risks that may arise.
Dental Implants: everything from single tooth replacement to All-on-4 dental implants offer a great, convenient and functional solution to missing teeth.
Bone Grafting: Bone grafts fill sockets, build bone for dental implant placement, and stabilize existing teeth after either disease, or a missing tooth has caused bone loss in the mouth.
Oral Pathology: Oral pathology refers to diseases that may develop inside the oral cavity, jaws, or salivary glands. These can cause issues to both your dentition as well as to your overall oral health and should be addressed by a professional.
Impacted Tooth Exposure Treatment: oftentimes patients require surgery to assist their dentist or orthodontist complete their prescribed treatment plan. Typically, this is done through a procedure known as exposure and bonding.
Pre-Prosthetic Exposure: This procedure may be necessary to prepare your mouth, gum, or jaw structure for dentures. This may include smoothing, reshaping, removal of excess tissue or bone, or exposure of impacted teeth. It is a necessary procedure often overlooked before dental prosthetics are placed.
What about the pain?
Pain is the most common fear when discussing dental procedures and particularly oral surgery. Our team is very aware of this concern and we work hard to minimize the unpleasantry of surgery while ensuring that each patient is as comfortable as possible before, during and after their procedure.
We offer the following types of anesthesia:
Local anesthesia: consists of “One or more injections near the site of each extraction” (Mayo Clinic, 2021) after the gum is numbed (typically by a numbing gel) in order to minimize the pain from the shot.
Nitrous oxide (“laughing gas”) anesthesia: this type of anesthesia is used for many of our awake procedures. It is an inhaled gas through your nose which serves to reduce pain and anxiety during the procedure.
Intravenous/Deep sedation anesthesia: this type of anesthesia is administered through an intravenous (IV) line in your arm. This suppresses the consciousness so that you “drift off to sleep” and pain is not felt during the procedure. The patient is fully monitored as they would be in the operating room, only in our office they are still breathing on their own. Memory of the procedure is limited, and our patients typically have an excellent experience.
If you need oral and facial surgery, the team at Oral Surgery Specialists of Atlanta are here for you. A consultation is a great place to start for questions or curiosity of a certain procedure. Our surgeons will be happy to help and provide you with all the comfort you need to keep your mouth happy and healthy.
