Dentists Who Perform Surgery

Dentists who concentrate on surgery are often referred to as dental surgeons. Not all of those who graduate from dentistry can perform the kinds of operations that are done on the jawbone. Special training and education is necessary for this.

Types of Dental Surgery

There are several types of operations that are commonly performed on the oral cavity. Orthodontics is one of the most common and may not necessarily require surgery that is extensive. Bear in mind that an operation can be as small as just making an incision on the gums to get to the root of the tooth. Dentists who specialize in orthodontics may actually be more focused on treating crooked teeth, placing implants on the oral cavity, improving the jawbone or the bone structure under the teeth and extracting teeth that need to be taken out due to damage.

The application of dental prosthetics is also another field under surgical dentistry. The use of veneers, implants, crowns, bridges and more fall under this category. Veneers are used to cover imperfect tops of teeth. These are highly similar to crowns except they are usually used for front teeth. Implants are used to allow the placement of an artificial tooth on the implanted titanium stud. As mentioned above, even the slightest incision for opening the gums is called an operation. Incisions are often done for those who wish to have crowns or implants placed.

Endodontic procedures have something to do with a root canal and the pulp of the tooth. A root canal is an operation in which the tooth is permanently disabled. This is done to prevent any more pain from occurring in a particularly bad tooth. Pulpotomy and pulpectomy are two operations focused on the pulp of a tooth as precursors to a root canal operation. Pulpotomy is often done to a tooth when it is infected and dentists need to drain it out. This is usually done to the tooth before a root canal or when the infection is so severe that anti-inflammatory medication does not work anymore. Pulpectomy is highly similar to pulpotomy except that this is done to relieve the pain by removing the pulp in the tooth itself.

Periodontics is a field of dentistry in which the gums and bone are the main concern of the dental health professional. These are important since the teeth are anchored and situated in both areas. Many oral health professionals are aware of this field and may be well versed in it.

The use of an anesthetic is often employed during any form of surgery in the oral cavity. This can be applied by the dentist himself since he may have a license to do so without the need for an anesthesiologist. A needle is used to anesthetize the area when needed. This is especially helpful when a root canal is underway as well as implanting. X-rays are often the responsibility of surgical dentists since not all dentists need this. In most cases, x-rays are necessary to see the extent of the damage and if the filling may have been undermined.