Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
What is maxillofacial surgery?
Maxillofacial surgery is a special type of dentistry. It involves operations to correct diseases, injuries and defects of your face, jaw or mouth. Maxillofacial surgeons are advanced specialists who diagnose and treat problems with:
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Bones and tissues of your jaw and lower face (maxillofacial area).
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Roof of your mouth (palate).
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Teeth.
Why is maxillofacial surgery done?
Maxillofacial surgery is performed to:
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Improve jaw function.
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Relieve pain.
Maxillofacial surgery can address a wide variety of dental problems and conditions, such as:
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Diagnosing reasons for chronic dental pain.
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Preparing the mouth for dental implants and prostheses (such as dentures).
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Placing dental implants.
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Removing (extracting) impacted teeth.
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Treat oral diseases.
Procedures can also treat jaw problems, such as:
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Bone grafting, or transplanting bone from another area of the body to replace bone that’s missing in your jaw.
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Reconstructing your jaw to correct an abnormal bite.
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Treating temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders that affect the area where your lower jaw attaches to your skull.
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Treating injuries related to trauma to your face, jaw and mouth.
Other reasons to perform maxillofacial surgery include:
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Correcting congenital (present at birth) abnormalities such as cleft lip and palate.
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Diagnosing and treating cysts, tumors, cancer and other growths in your head and neck.
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Diagnosing reasons for chronic facial pain.
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Treating facial trauma (injury), such as facial fractures or damaged maxillofacial tissue.