Oral Surgery

In many cases of dental decay, tooth fracture, or even in instances where an individual has "short" teeth, a crown lengthening procedure will allow us to properly construct an aesthetic and functional crown, bridge, or restoration.

Extractions (including wisdom teeth)

Extraction is the complete removal of a primary or a permanent tooth. An Extraction can be surgical or non-surgical. This depends on the difficulty of the extraction and whether or not the tooth is impacted or erupted, and whether it has straight or curved roots. No one looks forward to an extraction, but modern anesthesia will help keep you comfortable throughout the procedure.

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Extraction is the complete removal of a primary or a permanent tooth. An Extraction can be surgical or non-surgical. This depends on the difficulty of the extraction and whether or not the tooth is impacted or erupted, and whether it has straight or curved roots. No one looks forward to an extraction, but modern anesthesia will help keep you comfortable throughout the procedure.

Reasons for an extraction are:

  • Advanced Gum Disease. This is the #1 reason adults lose their teeth!
  • An abscessed tooth that cannot be saved.
  • A tooth with decay too deep to save the tooth.
  • A tooth that has broken at the gum line and cannot be saved.
  • Impacted tooth (typically a “Wisdom Tooth”)
  • Some Orthodontic cases require that one or more teeth be extracted.

Nothing is better than a healthy set of teeth, and many advances in dentistry allow us to save teeth that we could not previously, but sometimes an extraction is necessary.

When an extraction is performed, it is important to put something in the place of the missing tooth or teeth. If the space is just left open, your teeth will shift and cause many unnecessary complications. An extracted tooth may be replaced by a temporary or permanent bridge, an implant, or by a partial or complete denture.

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Apicoectomy

What is an Apicoectomy?

An Apicoectomy, or Root-End Resection, is the removal of the root tip and the surrounding infected tissue of an abscessed tooth. This procedure may be necessary when inflammation and infection persists in the area around the root tip after root canal therapy or root canal retreatment.

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What is an Apicoectomy?

An Apicoectomy, or Root-End Resection, is the removal of the root tip and the surrounding infected tissue of an abscessed tooth. This procedure may be necessary when inflammation and infection persists in the area around the root tip after root canal therapy or root canal retreatment.

Step one:

After the tooth is “numbed”, the gum is reflected (lifted) to uncover the underlying bone and the root end of the tooth. The root-end is resected (removed) with all the surrounding infected tissue.

Step two:

A root-end filling is placed to seal the end of the root canal, the gum is repositioned, and a few dissolvable sutures (stitches) are placed to hold the gum tissue back in its place until healing occurs.

Step three:

After a few months, the bone around the root-end has healed, and all symptoms are gone.
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Crown Lengthening

In many cases of dental decay, tooth fracture, or even in instances where an individual has “short” teeth, a crown lengthening procedure will allow us to properly construct an aesthetic and functional crown, bridge, or restoration.

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In many cases of dental decay, tooth fracture, or even in instances where an individual has “short” teeth, a crown lengthening procedure will allow us to properly construct an aesthetic and functional crown, bridge, or restoration.

Crown lengthening is a simple surgical procedure which adjusts the position of the gum around the affected tooth, thereby providing a more solid tooth on which to anchor the restoration of choice. A functional crown lengthening will help you regain a beautiful smile and allow you to eat and speak with comfort and confidence.

A purely aesthetic crown lengthening procedure to correct a “gummy” smile is often referred to as Gum Contouring.

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Frenectomy

The muscles of the cheeks and lips are attached to the gums and tissue of the mouth by a piece of soft tissue called a frenum. Sometimes a frenum can be attached too high on the gums causing either recession or spaces between teeth.
before frenectomy
In addition, there is another frenum under the tongue. If this frenum is attached too close to the end of the tongue it can adversely affect swallowing and speech. Sometimes this is referred to as being “tongue-tied”.

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The muscles of the cheeks and lips are attached to the gums and tissue of the mouth by a piece of soft tissue called a frenum. Sometimes a frenum can be attached too high on the gums causing either recession or spaces between teeth.
before frenectomy
In addition, there is another frenum under the tongue. If this frenum is attached too close to the end of the tongue it can adversely affect swallowing and speech. Sometimes this is referred to as being “tongue-tied”.

A Frenectomy is a simple procedure where either part or all of the frenum in question is removed in order to return a healthy balance to the mouth.

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Gum Contouring

Some people have teeth that look too “short” due to the relationship between their teeth and gums. This creates a “gummy” smile. A procedure called “gum contouring” is often used to remove excess gum tissue and expose more of the crown of the tooth. In fact, your gum line can be carefully sculpted to create just the right proportion between gum tissue and tooth surface — and the result is a better looking smile.

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Some people have teeth that look too “short” due to the relationship between their teeth and gums. This creates a “gummy” smile. A procedure called “gum contouring” is often used to remove excess gum tissue and expose more of the crown of the tooth. In fact, your gum line can be carefully sculpted to create just the right proportion between gum tissue and tooth surface — and the result is a better looking smile.

If the gum is uneven around a tooth, gum contouring can smooth and balance the way your tooth and gum look. The procedure produces a consistent, even gum line that is aesthetically pleasing.

Crown Lengthening is the same procedure applied for functional instead of (or in addition to) cosmetic reasons.

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Gum Treatment

Gum treatment is the treatment of active gum and jaw bone disease. The treatment can slow or stop the progression of the disease. Since there are different stages of gum disease (from gingivitis to advanced periodontitis), there are different levels of treatment. In some cases, the patient may be referred to a specialist.

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Gum treatment is the treatment of active gum and jaw bone disease. The treatment can slow or stop the progression of the disease. Since there are different stages of gum disease (from gingivitis to advanced periodontitis), there are different levels of treatment. In some cases, the patient may be referred to a specialist.

Gum treatment consists of one or more of the following procedures, depending on the individual case.

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Hemisection

This procedure involves removal of one-half of a tooth. The remaining half will be restored as a one-rooted tooth, and is usually attached or anchored to an adjacent tooth, for additional support and stability.

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This procedure involves removal of one-half of a tooth. The remaining half will be restored as a one-rooted tooth, and is usually attached or anchored to an adjacent tooth, for additional support and stability.

Root Amputation

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