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Oral Surgery for Prosthesis Preparation

In many cases, oral surgery may be required to prepare your mouth for dental implants, dentures or another type of prosthetic device.Oral Surgery for Prosthesis

Some patients require minor procedures to ensure the stability and comfort of a dental prosthesis, as well as a pleasing visual outcome. Pre-prosthetic surgery takes care of any problems in your mouth and provides a supportive foundation for replacement teeth and dental restorations.

Bone Smoothing and Ridge Reduction

When teeth are extracted or missing, the alveolar ridge (jawbone ridge) may have irregularities that result in an abnormal shape.

Undercuts or bone spicules in the jaw must be removed using an oral surgery procedure called an alveoplasty. During this procedure, the surgeon smooths or re-contours the jawbone.

Any benign outgrowths from the bone, called tori, also need to be removed before dental prosthesis placement.

The mylohyoid ridge is the bony area on the interior of the lower jaw that runs at an angle from the roots of the last molar to the floor of the mouth.

If this ridge is too sharp or too large, it can affect how a prosthetic device sits. Ridge reduction oral surgery is done to reduce the size of the mylohyoid ridge to allow your prosthesis to fit properly.

Excess Gum Removal

If you have excess gum tissue that affects prosthetic device placement, oral surgery may also be necessary.

Through a gingivectomy, overgrown tissue is removed, exposing the full length of the tooth and shaping the gums to properly fit a prosthesis. This procedure also may be necessary if you have a severe gum infection (periodontitis) that cannot be handled with other methods such as root planing and scaling.

The oral surgeon will remove diseased gum tissue and reshape any loose tissue so that no pockets remain between the gums and teeth.

Exposure of Impacted Teeth

An impacted tooth is one that cannot fully erupt from the bone. While impacted wisdom teeth are often extracted, impacted canines or other teeth may be exposed instead.

During this procedure, the surgeon removes bone and gum tissue covering the impacted tooth and preventing it from erupting. In some cases, the surgeon will attach a bracketing device that helps the tooth erupt and gradually moves it into its proper position.

If your doctor recommends any one or more of the above procedures, rest assured that this will provide the best fit for your prosthetic device. To learn more about dental prostheses procedures, contact Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of Utah for a consultation.

Our experienced surgeons can evaluate you and make any necessary recommendations for prostheses or oral surgery.

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