Everyone has tooth pain from time to time. That’s normal. However, if you don’t get your teeth checked on regularly, then you might not realize that pain is a symptom of something far worse. When things linger too long and cause major problems, oral surgery is often the answer.
There are a number of different kinds of oral surgery, depending on exactly what’s wrong. If you’ve ever wondered about the different kinds of oral surgery, here’s a few you might in to.
Impacted Wisdom Teeth
The removal of wisdom teeth may be the most common surgery, at least oral surgery, in the entirety of the United States. An estimated 90% of the entire population grows wisdom teeth, the extra pair of molars that rest in the far back of the mouth. While some people have enough room for their wisdom teeth to fit, most people simply don’t have jaws large enough. As the teeth come in, they can cause quite a bit of discomfort, since there’s not actually enough room to accommodate them. That comfort can become pain, migraines, and even actual jaw displacement. The upside of this is that surgery techniques to remove wisdom teeth are quite advanced, owing to how often the surgery must be performed. You can expect the surgery to last for around one hour. Recovery is fairly quick, though there might be some lingering pain for a few days or even weeks, depending on how severely the jaw had to be cut in order to remove the teeth.
Jaw Displacement
Oral surgery targeting the jaw is also quite common. There are several reasons why the jaw might shift out of place, everything from odd or improper tooth growth to simply not growing the right size or shape. If the jaw is displaced enough, there can be excruciating pain. Possibly every time the jaw is moved, if the displacement is especially severe. None of the surgery techniques sound pleasant, since they range from techniques such as breaking the jaw so that it can grow properly as it heals to actually shaving or adding bone to essentially carve the jawbone into the correct shape. However, these techniques have been perfected to the point where they can be done easily, and with only minor amounts of pain during recovery.
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a disorder that many people suffer from, but few people realize they have. The disorder is when a person has a blockage in their throat, either from the way their tongue falls against the back of their mouth as they sleep or simply odd jaw placement. The end result is that the person doesn’t get enough oxygen as they sleep. This can cause a number of problems, all of them rather terrible. At the very least, it causes sleep problems. When the brain isn’t getting enough oxygen, it forces the body to wake up in hopes of increase oxygen flow. This means those with sleep apnea wake up often, and never really sleep as deeply as they should. Over time, this causes depression, lowered energy, and general fatigue. Oral surgery can deal with sleep apnea by simply removing any excess tissue that’s helping to cause the blockage.
These are some of the most common problems that oral surgery fixes, but they’re by far not the only problems. If you’re having issues with your teeth or your jaw, whether it’s pain or simply discomfort, contact us. We can give you a good idea of whether or not you need oral surgery.
