Understanding Maxillofacial Surgery. Click image above to learn more.
Just like other medical fields where a doctor can enter a specialty area of medicine, oral surgeons can also become specialized into the field of maxillofacial surgery. It is an area of dentistry that concentrates on the face, jaws, cheeks, forehead, and neighboring soft tissue. These physicians are highly trained in various techniques focusing on a very specific area of the body.
Maxillofacial surgeons complete dental school, and then perform an additional residency involving surgery. Techniques that make up very complicated and detailed surgeries concerning facial nerves are practiced. It can take years for an oral surgeon to become certified in maxillofacial surgery, mainly due to the fact that extensive practice is necessary to be able to perform surgery on these delicate nerves without damaging them. Facial nerves affect just about every movement your face makes, so that’s one reason you need a highly qualified surgeon when it comes to those areas.
Some of the surgeries that maxillofacial surgeons perform include removing impacted wisdom teeth, correcting overbites and jaw deformities, reconstruction after cancer or other tumors, repairing birth defects, addressing facial pain, and repairs after accidents or facial trauma.
Why should you visit a maxillofacial surgeon in Huntington Beach? Here are some common reasons:
- Tooth extraction, including wisdom teeth
- Tooth replacement with dental implants
- Jaw realignment
- Jaw repair for TMJ symptoms
- Diagnosis and removal of an oral, jaw, or facial tumor or cyst
- Jaw and facial reconstruction after cancer surgery
- Facial bone repair after trauma
- Consultation about aesthetic or cosmetic surgery
