Archive for the ‘ Blog ’ Category

IS SOFT TISSUE GRAFTING (ATTACHED MUCOSAL GRAFTING) NEEDED AROUND DENTAL IMPLANTS?

IS SOFT TISSUE GRAFTING (ATTACHED MUCOSAL GRAFTING) NEEDED AROUND DENTAL IMPLANTS? Yes. This is true of any site, but especially true in compromised sites such as patients who have undergone treatments including radiation therapy or major jaw reconstruction (J Oral Maxillofac Surg 79:560-574, 2021). Around our healthy teeth there is a band of tissue that […]

CAN JAW SURGERY INCREASE THE RISK OF OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA (OSA)?

If you have a growth abnormality with your jaws such as a protrusive lower jaw, and you have breathing concerns, studies have shown that having the jaw surgery could increase your risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). (J Oral Maxillofac Surg 78:2061-2069, 2020). This concern and this question would mainly bring up issues if we […]

DOES RETAINING THIRD MOLARS RESULT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PATHOLOGY OVER TIME?

To me, this seems like a silly question because I have had over 35 years of experience treating patients of all ages with wisdom tooth problems and absolutely the types of problems, severity of problems, and the risks of treatment increase with age – and transversely are much less in the younger patient. I have […]

ANXIETY DURING THIRD MOLAR EXTRACTION

In our practice, removal of third molar teeth (wisdom teeth) is most commonly performed under IV anesthesia. This is appropriate and I feel necessary for this treatment to be a positive experience for most patients. With intravenous anesthesia you are completely relaxed, you have no anxieties and your jaw muscles are relaxed – it makes […]

DO POSTOPERATIVE ANTIBIOTICS DECREASE THE FREQUENCY OF INFLAMMATORY COMPLICATIONS FOLLOWING THRID MOLAR REMOVAL

I was pleased to see this article in the JOMS looking at post-op antibiotic use for third molar treatment on a meaningful group of patients. (J Oral Maxillofac Surg 76:700-708, 2018) There is a big push by national and world medical authorities to try to get clinicians to prescribe less or no antibiotics for routine […]

DOES THE CONE BEAM SCAN (CONE BEAM COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY) CHANGE THE TREATMENT DECISION TO REMOVE IMPACTED THIRD MOLAR TEETH?

The main reasons why I recommend a cone beam scan (CBCT) for third molar extractions is when there is significant risk to the nerve in the lower jaw (inferior alveolar nerve) or when there are significant lesions (typically cysts or tumors) associated with the jaw and/or teeth. For me, the cone beam scan has never […]

IS BONE GRAFTING NEEDED AFTER THIRD MOLAR (WISDOM TOOTH) EXTRACTIONS?

First off, as I have blogged before, get wisdom teeth out at an early age – about 15 years old – and you avoid 99% of the problems that tend to occur including the problems talked about in this article. But assuming that you are older and still have your wisdom teeth, as a rule, […]

METAL-FREE IMPLANT SOLUTIONS FOR OPTIMAL INTEGRATION AND ESTHETICS: NOBELPEARL IMPLANTS

First off, I will advise you before you start reading that this is an opinion piece and I am just giving you my experience, although in our practice we have extensive experience in the use of both titanium and ceramic implants. The “reintroduction” of ceramic implants in our practice is what brought on this blog […]

HOW SHOULD WE MANAGE THRID MOLAR TEETH?

As an oral and maxillofacial surgeon and one who is experienced and expert in the treatment of and removal of third molar teeth, I read with great interest the article titled “Management of Third Molars” in the Dental Academy of CE.com’s magazine. I will first reference you to our article on the subject which is […]

IS YOUR FACE CROOKED?

I apologize up front if you are drawn to this blog to seek a solution to a crooked face. We do perform orthognathic surgery in our practice which can address this; however this blog is directed at an article comparing observers-variations in how facial asymmetry is seen. (J Oral Maxillofac Surg 73:1606-1614, 2015). Our training […]