Oral Surgery
Alongside our main areas of implantology, prosthodontics and endodontics, our dentists also offer oral surgery treatments such as the extraction of wisdom teeth and removal of cysts.
Many patients feel nervous when they hear the word “surgery”. We try to address the fear by explaining every treatment step and the associated risks in detail. In our experience, imagination is always worse than actually knowing the reality of what will happen. If this isn’t enough we will always give you the choice to opt for sedation — our anaesthetists will be happy to tell you more about it.
Why we remove wisdom teeth
Very often wisdom teeth do not break through at all or only incompletely. Up to 80% of young people in Europe have at least one wisdom tooth that has not broken through. This happens more often in the lower jaw than in the upper jaw. Mostly because of the lack of space in the jaw. In some people retained wisdom teeth do not cause discomfort. But they can lead to pain, swelling or inflammation of the gums. In addition, they sometimes move or endanger adjacent teeth. But also regularly positioned wisdom teeth can move other teeth, lead to inflammation, tooth decay or other complications.
When does it make sense to have the wisdom teeth removed?
Whether the wisdom teeth are better removed or not depends primarily on whether they already cause problems or are likely to do so. It is important to clarify the following questions before a treatment:
- Have the wisdom teeth already caused pain or damage to the jaw or adjacent teeth, or is the risk increased that happening in the future?
- Do the wisdom teeth affect the development of the rest of the dentition?
- Could they disrupt a planned orthodontic or dental treatment?
- What are the risks of the procedure?
- Could the wisdom teeth be used to replace lost or badly damaged molars?
- People with displaced incisors or small jawbones sometimes fear that their teeth will shift even more when the wisdom teeth break through. That does not have to be the case.
In case you are planning to have wisdom teeth removed please check our pre- and post operative instructions here.
Removal of Cysts
What are cysts?
Cysts are cavities in the bone that are enveloped in a capsule full of fluid, and that can develop almost anywhere in the human body. Unfortunately, they also sometimes exist in the jawbone. Cysts can develop because of an infected tooth or independent from a tooth. If left unchecked, they will continue to grow and that can lead to serious problems. The ever-growing, pus-containing jaw cysts are most of the time not felt by the patients, and often they also get diagnosed by the dentists only by chance.
Why are cysts a problem?
The cysts that develop in the jaw, and if not treated, they are constantly growing. When the swelling becomes visible, the cystic capsule has already grown to an enormous size. If it develops close to the tooth tissue, it can cause the inflammation of the affected tooth; When it forms in the bone independent from a tooth, it can displace the bone and thereby weaken the jaw. A cyst usually only causes symptoms when it presses on the surrounding tooth root or the sensitive nerve tract. Because of the consequences, it is important to attend the regular dental check-ups including X-rays.
How can a cyst be removed?
A cyst developing in the jaw can only be removed by surgery, and it is recommended that the procedure should be carried out as soon as possible after the diagnosis (cystectomy). Outpatient surgery is performed under local anaesthesia or under sedation, and although it requires specialised knowledge and resources, it is indeed a routine procedure. Varying on the size of the cyst and the presence of other diseases, the specialists decide which surgical treatment to choose.
Thanks to today’s dental technology, the cysts, can be easily removed with a routine operation. During cystectomy, the dentist first opens the gum and removes the necessary amount of bone to reach the cyst.
After complete removal of the cyst, the bone regenerates itself, but for larger bone cavities, the specialist can decide to re-fill the empty space with artificial bone. If necessary, the triggers of the cyst are also treated during treatment: this may mean extracting the cyst causing tooth or removing the root tip. At the moment, cystectomy is one of the safest ways to completely and permanently remove a cyst.
What happens after the operation?
After completing the operation, the wound is completely closed. An X-ray will be taken six months, and one year after the operation, to establish closure of the bone cavity with new bone.
For more information regarding this treatment
Back to Saving Teeth
