In some cases, oral surgery may need to be performed in the interests of your oral and dental health. Here at The Bristol Dental Practice, we’re experienced at performing oral surgery, whether it’s before dental implants treatment to graft new bone, to place dental implants, or to remove wisdom teeth or failing teeth.

 

Read on to learn more about what constitutes oral surgery and how it can benefit you. 

 

What kind of treatments can an oral surgeon provide? 

 

Bone graft

 

What is it?

 

Before dental implants treatment, a bone graft might be necessary to create new and healthy jaw bone. 

 

Patients who have been living with missing teeth for several years or who have conventional dentures might have lost some of their jawbone density due to lack of stimulation. Jawbone loss can also happen if a person has developed periodontal disease (advanced gum disease), suffered trauma such as a sports injury, or has a jaw tumour that has attacked the bone. 

 

How can a bone graft benefit patients?

 

Bone grafts replenish the jawbone in the area where it has been lost. This then makes the jawbone suitable to accommodate dental implants successfully. 

 

Sinus graft 

 

What is it?

 

When a tooth is missing from the upper back area of the jaw, loss of bone causes the floor of the maxillary sinus above to move and fill the empty space. To have a dental implant placed, the sinus floor needs to be moved back to its original position and the area below filled with new bone grafting material. 

 

How can a sinus graft benefit patients?

 

Also known as a sinus graft, a sinus lift allows patients to proceed with dental implants treatment by creating new bone.  

 

Dental implants placement 

 

What is it? 

 

Dental implants are small titanium posts that replace individual tooth roots. Dental implants are surgically placed by an oral surgeon under anaesthetic. 

 

How can dental implants placement benefit patients? 

 

The fact that dental implants are placed into the jawbone makes them special. Dental implants stimulate jawbone growth, which prevents many problems from developing, ranging from bite issues and susceptibility to fractures and breaks to loose teeth and unwanted facial changes such as wrinkles due to your facial structure becoming compromised. 

 

Dental implants are the only method of tooth replacement that has the potential to be permanent. They can restore functions like chewing and speaking forever with the proper care. 

 

Tooth extractions 

What are they? 

 

Sometimes, surgically removing a tooth is the best course of action to ensure that your oral health remains sound. 

 

Tooth extractions might be necessary if a wisdom tooth has become impacted or infected, you have failing teeth due to advanced gum disease, or your teeth are crowded. 

 

How can tooth extractions benefit me? 

 

Problematic teeth, such as impacted wisdom teeth and teeth that have been affected by the progression of gum disease, may be accompanied by some unpleasant symptoms, ranging from a bad taste in the mouth, intense pain in the gum around the tooth, extreme sensitivity and bleeding. 

 

Having affected teeth removed will eliminate these symptoms and help to stabilise your oral health. Meanwhile, tooth removal can prepare you for having orthodontic treatment and dental implants treatment. 

 

How are teeth removed? 

 

Teeth usually are loosened using special instruments and then gently extracted with forceps. However, if a tooth has curved or deep roots, it might not be possible to take it out whole. When a tooth has become broken down due to decay, trauma or infection, it may be that we can’t take the tooth or roots out via conventional means. 

 

Oral Surgeon Dr Jonathan Cochrane here in Bristol is highly experienced at removing problematic teeth swiftly and efficiently. It might be that Dr Cochrane advises removing these teeth sideways instead of through the socket. This involves making a small incision into the gum, raising it back and removing some of the overlying bone around the tooth or its root. Subsequently, the tooth can be carefully removed. 

 

What if I’m anxious about oral surgery?

 

We completely understand why the prospect of oral surgery might be a daunting one for those who are scared of the dentist. Our team is trained to care for patients who need compassionate support and a slow and steady approach to oral surgery. We offer meetings with our treatment coordinator in a non-clinical environment so that you can discuss your anxieties before even being in a treatment room. We find this can reassure patients and allow them to ask the questions they need to. 

 

Having that initial conversation with the treatment coordinator or with your oral surgeon can be nerve-wracking, and it’s completely normal to forget details of the conversation due to nerves or remember questions only once you’ve left the practice. Please don’t hesitate to give us a call if you need to follow up with additional questions before your procedure. 

 

We also offer IV (intravenous) sedation for patients who feel they need extra help to relax during their treatment. This type of sedation is administered using a small needle on the back of the hand and works in seconds to relax you. Unlike general anaesthetic, IV sedation keeps you awake so that you can communicate with the dentist. You won’t feel the ‘groggy’ sensation once the sedation has worn off, something commonly associated with general anaesthetic.  

 

You can also take a virtual 3D tour of the practice here. 

 

Oral surgeon in Bristol 

 

Here at The Bristol Dental Practice, we have our very own in-house Oral Surgeon, Principal dentist Dr Jonathan Cochrane. We can offer you an appointment swiftly upon his next availability with minimal waiting time.