Young Woman Pointing to her Mouth to Show Dentist Source of the ProblemOften, when patients in our Pasadena offices are told they need oral surgery, they’re surprised. The main reason for the shock is that so many dental patients just don’t realize how many different oral surgery procedures there are, and how many different diseases and conditions can be treated by oral surgery. At the office of Lytle, Tate & Stamper, our doctors perform a number of oral surgery procedures every week. Keep reading to learn 5 of the most common reasons you may need to have oral surgery.

1) Wisdom Tooth Removal

Mention the term “wisdom tooth removal” and patients typically cringe. That’s because this oral surgery has gotten a bad rap due to the pain that is typically associated with erupting or impacted wisdom teeth, and the fact that wisdom tooth removal is often the first surgery many people have. But, wisdom tooth removal is a relatively straightforward procedure for our doctors, and we offer a variety of sedation options to make our Pasadena patients comfortable throughout the wisdom tooth removal procedure.

2) Tooth Removal and Dental Implants

Sometimes, Pasadena patients have a diseased or infected tooth that needs to be removed, then replaced with a tooth alternative such as a dental implant. Both of these procedures are considered oral surgery. First, a procedure is performed to remove the tooth from the jawbone, and then oral surgery is conducted to insert the titanium screw of a dental implant, and cover it with a realistic-looking zirconia crown.

3) Jawbone Preservation and Augmentation

Sometimes, due to periodontitis – also known as gum disease – patients lose jawbone tissue, and their teeth become loose. Other times, patients requiring dental implants find out that they don’t have enough jaw bone tissue in their mouth to allow the titanium implant to fuse with their jaw. Whatever your unique case, jawbone augmentation, or bone graft, is an oral surgery that can be performed to replace missing jawbone tissue with donor tissue, which will grow into the jawbone over time.

4) Oral Cancer

Oral cancer, or oral pathology, is the most serious condition you could have that would require oral surgery. If your doctor suspects you have oral cancer, which would be indicated by a change in the oral mucosa, he or she may opt for surgery to biopsy or completely remove the diseased tissue.

5) Benign Oral Lesions and Tumors

After an oral biopsy, some Pasadena residents are lucky to find out that the lesion or tumor in their mouth is benign, But, even though these conditions don’t spread, they can still be annoying or interfere with your overall oral structure, and are often removed via oral surgery.

More About Oral Surgery

Finding out that you may need oral surgery can be scary, especially if you’ve never had any other type of surgery before. But the doctors at Lytle, Tate & Stamper take extra measures to make sure that all of their oral surgery patients are completely comfortable during their procedures. In addition to providing various sedation options, the doctors of Lytle, Tate & Stamper will explain your procedure to you in as much detail as you like, giving you the comfort level and confidence to move forward.

If you think you have a condition that may require oral surgery, don’t delay. Call our Pasadena office to schedule a consultation at (818) 240-1805.

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