Oral surgery

Damage and disease can affect the teeth, gums, mouth and jaw, necessitating odontostomatology or oral surgery. This is a branch of dentistry that includes various procedures designed to remove irregularities and deformities that may be present in the oral cavity.  The most common procedure is tooth extraction, but any procedure that requires the cutting or removal of tissue or teeth from the oral cavity, such as implant treatment during the installation of dental implants, removal of carcinomas of the oral cavity and corrections of problems in the jaw, are also some common procedures in oral surgery.

Extractive surgery
When, despite the best care and technology available, some teeth can no longer be saved, extraction becomes necessary. The cases in which this occurs are severe forms of periodontal disease with total or almost total resorption of the supporting bone and consequent very high mobility of the tooth itself; caries so deep that even the roots have been compromised in an unrecoverable manner; vertical fractures of the tooth root and unfavourable tooth position, such as impacted wisdom teeth, especially if they cause gum problems. All extractions in oral surgery are performed with rather cautious manoeuvres aimed at preserving as much bone as possible so as not to jeopardise the possibility of a future implant to replace the lost tooth.

Orthodontic surgery
Inclusion of teeth is the failure of a tooth to erupt in its proper place within the normal growth period. The upper canine, after the wisdom teeth, is the tooth that most frequently presents this anomaly. In these cases, orthodontic-surgical therapy is required to uncover the included teeth and the subsequent extrusion using an orthodontic appliance.The evaluation of these patients includes a clinical examination and an X-ray study to identify the characteristics of the gingival tissues and the mucosa of the palate, the presence of space, the greater or lesser inclination of the adjacent teeth, the presence or absence of a bulge corresponding to the included canine and, if the milk canine is present, its mobility.

Endodontic surgery
To recover a tooth compromised by an infection or granuloma at the root, instead of extracting the tooth and replacing it with an implant, it may be preferable to perform an apicoectomy, i.e. the removal of the apex of the affected tooth root and the eventual retrograde filling of the same.In fact, the extraction of a tooth is an irreversible choice, which should only be performed after careful evaluation by the oral surgery specialist.

Oral surgery and frenectomy
The frenulum is a thin, richly vascularised fibrous lamina that connects, in the case of labial frenulum, the inner surface of the lip to both the upper and lower dental arches. In the case of lingual frenulum, on the other hand, it connects the lower palate to the tongue.In most people, the frenulum does not create any kind of problem or discomfort, but in some circumstances its conformation risks compromising vital processes and creating discomfort within the mouth. An abnormal frenulum is a consequence of congenital abnormalities that characterise it as being too long or too short, creating discomfort particularly in children who risk presenting late language development and problems with chewing and sucking.Frenulum severance surgery is quick and requires little post-operative care. Traditional techniques involve the use of a scalpel or laser therapy, which in this case in particular, often dealing with children, is particularly effective.