Advanced Dentistry

Prosthodontics

Prosthodontics is the restoration or replacement of teeth. A prosthodontist is the "architect" of your dental project, specializing in dental rehabilitation and procedures including: crowns, bridges, veneers, dentures and dental implants.

Dental Implant Surgery

Dental implant surgery is a procedure that replaces damaged or missing teeth with artificial teeth that look and function much like real ones. Dental implant surgery can offer a welcome alternative to ill-fitting dentures or bridgework.

Endodontics

Endodontics, or endodontic therapy (also known as root canal treatment) is a specialized type of dentistry that deals with abnormal tooth pulp; the causes/origins, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases and injuries to the pulp; and other conditions affecting the tissues surrounding the pulp and canal (channel inside the tooth root). Tooth pulp, the soft tissue that contains nerves, blood vessels and connective tissues, runs through hard tissue inside the tooth (dentin) and extends from the crown (top) of the tooth down to the tip of the root in the jaw bone.

Periodontics

Periodontics is a dental specialty that includes the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the tissues surrounding and supporting the teeth. These types of dental specialists are also involved with periodontal plastic surgery and the placing of dental implants.

Periodontal diseases are bacterial infections of the gums, bone and periodontal ligament (fibers that support the teeth and hold them in the jaw). These diseases destroy the gums and supporting bone that hold your teeth in place. As a result, teeth may loosen and fall out or need to be removed and replaced with dental bridges or implants.

Periodontal plastic surgery may be required to cover exposed tooth root surfaces, correct gum and jawbone indentations, or reshape and repair the gum tissue. Dental implants are placed to provide an artificial tooth root to support dental restorations that will later be created by your dentist or prosthodontist.

While some general dentists have the expertise to treat more advanced forms of periodontal disease, more frequently, gum disease requires specialized treatment. In such cases, your general dentist may refer you to a periodontist.

You may have gum disease and not even know it. Often, there is no pain and periodontal diseases may not exhibit symptoms until serious bone loss has taken place. However, it is important to see your dentist or periodontist at the first sign of these common symptoms of periodontal disease:

• Red, swollen or tender gums
• Gums that bleed easily when brushing or flossing
• Gums that pull away from teeth
• Loose or separating teeth
• Pus between gums and teeth
• Persistent bad breath
• Change in your bite (occlusion) and/or fit of removable dentures

Oral Surgery

Oral surgery focuses on the diagnosis, surgical and adjunctive treatment of diseases, injuries and defects related to the functional and aesthetic aspects of the face, mouth, teeth and jaws (maxillofacial area).

When functional dental concerns, such as keeping teeth, overcoming congenital growth issues, controlling serious oral disease and treating trauma-related damage, supersede aesthetics, oral surgeons are the appropriate dental specialists.

An oral surgeon is skilled in the following:

• Removing diseased and impacted teeth and administering anesthesia. An oral surgeon can remove impacted and damaged teeth and provide in-office anesthesia services, including intravenous (IV) sedation and general anesthesia.

• Placing dental implants. In collaboration with a cosmetic or restorative dentist who designs your new smile or restorations, your oral surgeon can help with the planning and subsequent placement of tooth implants. Oral surgeons can reconstruct bone for implant placement and, when necessary, modify gum tissue around the implants to produce a more natural and attractive appearance.

• Treating facial trauma. Oral surgeons can repair minor-to-complex facial skin lacerations, set fractured jaw and facial bones, reconnect severed nerves and treat other facial injuries involving the oral tissues, jaws, cheek and nasal bones, eye sockets and the forehead.

• Evaluating pathologic conditions. Oral surgeons can treat patients with benign cysts and tumors of the mouth and face, as well as those with malignant oral, head and neck cancer, and severe infections of the oral cavity, salivary glands, jaws and neck.

• Alleviating facial pain. An oral surgeon can diagnose and treat facial pain disorders, including those caused by temporomandibular joint (TMJ) problems. This type of specialist can order imaging studies of the joints and make appropriate referrals to other dental and medical specialists, or a physical therapist.

• Performing reconstructive and cosmetic surgery. Oral surgeons can correct jaw, facial bone and facial soft tissue problems that result from trauma or the removal of cysts and tumors. Such corrective surgeries restore form and function to the maxillofacial area and often involve using skin, bone, nerves and different tissues from other parts of the body to reconstruct the jaws and face.

• Performing corrective jaw (orthognathic) surgery. Oral surgeons correct minor and major skeletal and dental jaw irregularities to improve chewing, speaking and breathing, as well as birth (congenital) defects of the face and skull, such as cleft lip and cleft palate.

• Providing surgical treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). If your dentist suspects that you have a sleep disorder, you will likely be referred to a sleep clinic for a polysomnography, an overnight clinic test that monitors your sleep patterns. If non-surgical treatments, such as behavior modification or oral appliances do not work, your dentist may refer you to an oral surgeon for a surgical procedure.