Dental Surgery St Leonards
Specialist diagnosis and management of conditions affecting the oral and dentoalveolar tissues.
Maxillofacial and oral surgery are recognised specialties of highly trained and qualified surgeons who perform corrective surgery for conditions affecting the maxillofacial area, including the head, neck, face, and jaw.
In particular, when it comes to the mouth and jaw, dental surgeons can perform surgeries to repair injuries and trauma, or to enhance the appearance of these areas. For those lacking functionality or confidence in their mouth and jaw, this can be a good option to improve health and happiness.
Dentists in Australia require an additional three to six years of training to qualify as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon.
How does dental surgery work?
While many general dentists are skilled and experienced in a wide range of procedures, they may refer you to an Oral Surgeon if your case requires specialist expertise or is beyond their regular scope of practice.
The oral surgeon works closely with your dentist to make sure your care is safe, well-planned, and smooth from start to finish –including recovery and follow-up care.
What does dental surgery treat?
Oral surgeons treat a wide range of conditions that affect the mouth and the jaws.
- Complex tooth extractions including wisdom teeth
- Dental surgery on medically vulnerable or compromised patients
- Dental implants
- Bone grafts
- Orofacial pain and TMD
- Oral pathology (lumps, bumps or spots in the mouth)
- Surgical orthodontics (surgery to assist alignment of teeth), surgical endodontics (surgical therapy of root canal treated teeth) or pre-prosthetic surgery (surgery to assist use of dentures or crowns)
What to expect from a dental surgery appointment
Generally speaking, the process with begin with a consultation, where the oral surgeon will assess your mouth and jaws as well as review to relevant X rays.
Based on this examination, the oral surgeon will give you relevant surgical or non-surgical options, discuss procedure and recovery expectations as well as follow up care you may need.
Depending on the surgery required, you will either attend the clinic, where you will have a surgical procedure under local anaesthesia. If the surgery is more complex, the oral surgeon may recommend treatment under general anaesthesia.
This will require for you to be admitted into a day surgery or hospital to have the procedure in an operating theatre. For these procedures, in addition to the surgeon, an anaesthetist (doctor that outs you to sleep), will be involved in your care. In some cases, twilight sedation or conscious sedation can be utilised instead of general anaesthetic.
You can discuss your anaesthetic options in detail with your oral surgeon at the time of consultation.
Recovering after dental surgery
The recovery time and process will depend on the type of surgery you have had.
Some surgeries like wisdom teeth removal, will require several days of soft/ pureed food, like drinking smoothies. You will often be prescribed appropriate pain relief and possibly antibiotics. All post operative instructions will be given to you in writing, with the oral surgeon’s details to get it touch, as required. You will be advised to return for a review visit in 1-2 weeks after your procedure so the oral surgeon can ensure your surgical wound is healing well.
In some cases, multiple follow up visits may be required, depending on the condition and the surgery.
For full details about the recovery process following oral surgery, speak to your dentist or the oral surgeon to learn more about what to expect.
Surgery Consultations at Forum Dentistry
Request a consultation with our Oral Surgeons, Dr Naser and Dr Sam.
They focus on patient comfort and clinical precision. You get a clear assessment and a treatment plan built around your goals and long-term oral health.
Frequently asked questions
An oral surgeon is a dentist, who has completed formal post graduate training in the field of Oral Surgery i.e. the diagnosis and management of conditions affecting the oral and dentoalveolar structures.
An oral surgeon is a dental specialist, who manages disorders and conditions affecting the oral and dental structures. This can be anything ranging from removal of complex teeth or wisdom teeth, removal of cysts or tumours of the jaws, dental trauma or oral pathology. Oral Surgeons also provide dental implants and grafting procedures to replace missing teeth. They often work alongside other dental specialists for specific procedures of a patient’s overall treatment plan.
Patients are often referred to an Oral Surgeon by their general dentist, another dental specialist or medical practitioners.
The cost of oral surgery varies depending on what you need. Speak to your oral surgeon about expected costs, and with your insurance provider to check how much they will cover.
Oral surgeries can be both major and minor- it all depends on the surgery itself. Something as simple as removal of an infected tooth may take 10-15 minutes and may be considered a minor procedure. However, some oral surgeries especially those involving large jaw cysts or deeply encased wisdom teeth, may require a general anaesthesia and could be considered major.
Regardless of the complexity, treatment options, details of the procedure, anaesthesia and recovery phase will be discussed in detail by your oral surgeon at your consultation visit.