Oral

Surgery

Impacted/Semi-impacted teeth

Impacted is a tooth that has not risen and remains in the bone of the jaw covered with gum.

Semi-impacted is called a tooth that has not risen normally, but a part of it has appeared in the mouth.

The teeth that are mostly impacted or semi-impacted are wisdom teeth and in rare occassions the upper jaw canines. The normal rise time for wisdom teeth is late puberty, ie 17-18 years of age, and for canines 12-13 years old.

Impacted wisdom teeth can ruin the adjacent teeth because of the pressure they exert or cause orthodontic changes.

Semi-impacted wisdom teeth are in an area that is difficult to clean effectively. This creates an environment that favors the growth of bacteria. This has two main consequences:


– Infection of the gum, which causes pain, swelling, bad breath, redness. This chronic inflammation is called pericoronitis.

 

– Very high probability of dental decay that can be extended to the molars.


– Pressure on adjacent teeth resulting in crowded anterior teeth (orthodontic problem).


Wisdom teeth with such problems should be extracted. They should also be extracted preventively and as early as possible before they cause problems.In this case it is easier to treat, since there are no cysts, infections, damage that would complicate the situation somewhat.

In any case, the dentist will assess the situation and propose the best choice according to the characteristics of each case.

Maxillary canines are sometimes obstructed due to crowing of anterior teeth (orthodontic problem), and if left, they can cause severe problems (headaches, intolerance, etc.) at older ages.

Proper monitoring of children by the dentist can prevent the above situation. But if it is diagnosed after all the teeth have emerged and the space is closed, there are two solutions:

– Orthodontic creation of space and lifting of the impacted canine in its place

– surgical extraction

Implants

Dental implant is the most modern treatment solution in case one or more teeth need to be extracted or in cases of congenital shortage in younger ages. Dental implants are made of materials that are perfectly compatible with the human body (= biocompatible), which are literally incorporated into the jawbone (osteointegration). Dental implants are an effective, safe and predictable solution as long as they are thoroughly studied on a case-by-case basis and placed in accordance with their specifications. Over time, technology and science have made great strides and have greatly improved the effects of dental implant placement. Today, the success rate for dental implants is close to 98%.

Cysts

Dental cysts are malformations that contain fluid and usually grow in the upper and lower jaw. In daily dentistry we treat cysts located at the apex of the root or around the tooth.

It is almost always associated with a certain pathology of the tooth, such as caries, periodontitis, or trauma that can cause pulp infection.

Cysts do not initially present with symptoms but gradually grow in size. Very often swelling is accompanied by inflammation, abscess or pain.

If the cyst grows extensively, it can cause bone destruction and loss of adjacent teeth due to the pressure exerted on them.

When the cyst is relatively small in size and is due to a damaged tooth, the treatment is usually conservative and endodontic treatment is applied.

If, however, the cyst persists or is large or does not originate from a pathology of the tooth, then it must be completely removed.

The origin tooth of the cyst is either removed or subjected to an apicectomy.

Apicectomy is a type of endodontic microsurgery.

It is necessary if the tissue around the root of the tooth is inflamed due to failed endodontic treatments. If no apicectomy is performed, the tooth should be removed.

The procedure involves making a small incision in the gum above the tooth and

the end of the root is cleaned and trimmed. Then the apex of the root along with the infected tissues (granulation tissue or cyst) is removed. Sometimes an additional seal (a retrograde root filling) is added to the end of the root. Finally, the part of the gum that was initially removed is repositioned on the root and secured with sutures. Sutures are removed after a few days.

An apicectomy is usually carried out under a local anaesthetic, but sometimes sedation or a general anaesthetic may be required. Your dentist will advise you on this.

The procedure ends in one day, it does not last long and has a great success rate.