What Is The Oral And Maxillofacial Surgery Department? Several hospitals have an oral and maxillofacial surgery department, commonly known as a surgical specialties department or an oral surgery department. Although this department has spread throughout the majority of larger hospitals, it still predominantly treats patients with head and neck malignancies or birth abnormalities of the face. This specialist department’s mission is to help patients who have lost jaw or mouth function due to facial trauma function again.
Oral and maxillofacial surgery is something you may have heard of if you’ve ever had the terrible situation of having bad teeth. For those who want a nicer smile, this is a possibility. Individuals seek the care of dentists who specialize in this area of dentistry when they experience a variety of problems with their teeth or gums. For instance, if you have a few missing teeth, the remainder of your mouth may suffer as well as the way the missing teeth appear. You might find it more difficult to chew your food, and it might even affect your speech.
Read on to learn more about What Is Oral And Maxillofacial Surgery and Scope Of Oral And Maxillofacial Surgery
What Is The Oral And Maxillofacial Surgery Department
A surgical speciality that specializes in treating issues with the mouth, jaws, and facial tissues is oral and maxillofacial surgery. Dentists often refer to oral and maxillofacial surgeons as dentists. In this branch of medicine, they have received advanced training.
There might be an oral and maxillofacial surgery division within a bigger hospital or clinic. An oral surgeon, for instance, might work in a hospital or at a private practice. He or she might work alone or alongside other doctors. Otolaryngologists (ear, nose, and throat specialists), general surgeons, plastic surgeons, and even general practitioners who may send patients to him or her all fall under this category.
Moreover, oral surgeons generally receive training in difficult procedures for the nose, sinuses, and throat (pharynx). This covers the excision of tumors as well as the treatment of wounds brought on by trauma, tumor radiation therapy, or birth deformities including cleft palate. Orthognathic surgery and pediatric dentistry are two additional specialties of some oral surgeons (correcting jaw deformities).
Surgical disorders affecting the mouth, jaws, and face are the focus of the surgical speciality known as oral and maxillofacial surgery. More than just removing wisdom teeth is what oral surgeons do. Additionally, they carry out reconstructive procedures following oral cancer treatments, fix fractures, remove impacted teeth, identify and cure facial discomfort, remove benign or malignant tumors, and diagnose and treat facial pain.
Specialists in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of problems of the mouth, jaws, and face include oral surgeons. They are skilled in a variety of operations, such as the removal of wisdom teeth, biopsies, minimally invasive surgery for removing tumors, correction of facial deformities caused by birth defects like cleft palate or traumatic injury, surgical placement of dental implants, treatment for sleep apnea, removal of cysts from salivary glands, fracture repairs, removal of impacted third molars or wisdom teeth, and repair of jaw injuries brought on by infection or trauma.
When a patient needs surgical treatment for issues with their mouth or jaw, such as the removal of impacted wisdom teeth or cysts from salivary glands, they typically consult an oral surgeon.
One of the most diversified departments in medicine is oral and maxillofacial surgery. Together with patients who have facial injuries, we see individuals who have dental and jaw issues. Males and females, young or old, adults or children, can all be our patients. Their issues can range from straightforward extractions to more reconstructive surgeries.
Maxillofacial surgery and orthognathic surgery are the department’s two primary subspecialties (facial bone deformities).
dental and facial surgery
This division of the department handles issues involving the mouth, face, and jaws, such as:
• extractions of teeth (removal of teeth)
• Dental crowns (caps)
• Implants with crowns
• root-canal therapy (endodontics)
• Treatment for gum disease (periodontics)
• removing tumors from the skull base or mandible, the jaw bone (craniofacial tumours)
orthodontic procedures
This section of the department deals with issues involving jaw misalignment, such as an underbite (where the lower jaw juts forward)
The University of Houston’s dentistry clinic houses the oral and maxillofacial surgery division. It is led by Dr. Hani S. Atrash, a physician with more than 30 years of experience. For patients with malignant or non-cancerous illnesses of the jaws, face, teeth, gums, and mouth, the department offers surgical therapy.
The temporomandibular joints (TMJs), jaws, oral cavity, facial skeleton, and other tissues in the head and neck region can all be restored to functional and aesthetic integrity by surgical treatments performed by the oral and maxillofacial surgery department.
What types of issues does this clinic often treat?
The following are the issues this office treats the most frequently:
Tumors: One of the most prevalent malignancies in the world is oral cancer. Everywhere in the mouth, including the lips, tongue, and gums, a tumor can form. Moreover, it can affect the skin surrounding your lips or cheeks.
What Is Oral And Maxillofacial Surgery
A medical speciality known as oral and maxillofacial surgery focuses on the surgical management of conditions affecting the maxilla and mouth cavity. Oral cancer, periodontal disease, peritonsillar abscess (an infection of the soft tissues around the mouth), fractures of the jaw, facial trauma, parotid gland cysts, sinusitis, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and craniofacial birth abnormalities are some of these.
Lips, cheeks, tongue, and gums are all parts of the oral cavity. The maxilla also contains the lower jaw bone and the upper jaw bone that connects to the nose. Oral surgery treatments, such as the excision of malignancies from tissue surfaces or warts from skin surfaces, also have an impact on the soft tissue that surrounds these bones (e.g., skin cancer).
A surgical speciality known as oral and maxillofacial surgery focuses on treating diseases and injuries of the mouth, face, lips, jaws, and neck. Complex procedures are carried out by oral and maxillofacial surgeons to restore face function following injury or illness. The gums, lips, teeth, and mucous membranes are among the oral structures that are affected by illnesses.
In order to treat patients with head and neck issues, practitioners in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery must possess a solid understanding of anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pathology, and other medical disciplines. Understanding how general anesthesia functions in regard to oral surgical operations is another skill required.
Patients with disease or trauma to the mouth or face are treated by oral and maxillofacial surgeons. Patients with injuries to the upper jaw who have swelling or fractures around their teeth or gum tissue may also be treated.
The field of reconstructive surgery for the face and head is known as oral and maxillofacial surgery. It encompasses a variety of operations done on the mouth, jaws, face, and neck.
Those that specialize in oral and maxillofacial surgery do not do body reconstruction. Oral surgeons who specialize in oral and maxillofacial surgery are certified by the American Board of Oral Medicine and Maxillofacial Surgery’s Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Specialty Board.
The complex surgical procedures that oral and maxillofacial surgeons perform include bone grafting, bone reconstruction (including bone augmentation), soft tissue augmentation (such as muscle repair), implant placement (such as artificial teeth), vascular reconstruction (such as reconstruction of blood vessels), facial skin grafts, lower jaw lengthening, upper jaw lengthening (surgical excision), cleft palate repair, dental implant placement, and facial skin grafting (nose reshaping).
The field of medicine known as oral and maxillofacial surgery treats problems with the mouth, nose, face, and neck. Tumors, cysts, infections, fractures, and birth deformities are a few examples of these conditions. It may also be necessary to take some steps to avoid these issues altogether.
A tremendous quantity of training is necessary to succeed in the highly specialized field of oral and maxillofacial surgery. There are numerous subspecialties within the subject of oral and maxillofacial surgery, including general dentistry, endodontics (root canal therapy), periodontics (gum disease), and otolaryngology (ear, nose & throat).
The kind of operation you require will depend on your unique health, age, and way of living. You can require more than just routine dental care if you have a serious condition, like cancer, or if you are still young enough to profit from therapy. In order to save your life or help you live a better life than before the disease started to impact your health, a surgeon might need to remove a tumor or perform surgery on an infected jaw bone.
Scope Of Oral And Maxillofacial Surgery
The medical speciality known as oral and maxillofacial surgery is focused on the diagnosis and treatment of disorders affecting the mouth, nose, and face. It encompasses all operations performed on the head and neck.
A hollow organ, the oral cavity is home to a number of structures, including teeth, salivary glands, gums, mucous membranes (tissues that line cavities), soft palate (lips in front of the tongue), tonsils (small lymph nodes on the back), adenoids (small glands on the side of the throat), palatine tonsils (two large lymph nodes at the back of the throat), and pharynx (throat). An extension of this structure with a more intricate architecture is the oropharynx.
The bones that support and shield the oral cavity are part of the maxillofacial skeleton. They consist of:
Mandible, or the top jawbone
Malformation of one side of both upper jawbones is known as cleft palate.
Palate: The thin membrane that divides the two upper jaws’ sets of teeth (includes hard palate)
The medical specialty of oral and maxillofacial surgery treats conditions affecting the larynx, throat, and oral cavity.
The mouth, lips, cheeks, and gums are all parts of the oral cavity. It also comprises the pharynx, which is the upper portion of the throat and home to the larynx, trachea, and nose. Cancer, gum disease, teeth decay, speech difficulties, tooth abscesses, facial paralysis, sinusitis, and tonsil stones are just a few of the illnesses that can affect this area.
From the top of your head to the bottom of your chin is the maxillofacial region. These teeth, cheekbones, and jawbone are the bones that attach to your head and face in this region (incisors). Bone tumors, osteomas (cysts on bone surfaces), fractures in the jaw joints or bone surfaces, cleft palate and cleft lip/palate deformities, as well as eye diseases including cataracts and glaucoma, can all damage this area.
An area of medicine called oral and maxillofacial surgery treats problems with the mouth, face, and oral cavity. The upper jaw, nose, and sinuses are part of the maxillofacial region, while the lips, cheeks, tongue, gums, and teeth are found in the oral cavity.
Several body areas are candidates for oral and maxillofacial surgery, including:
The mouth (oral cavity) – Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), oral leukoplakia, and oral lichen planus are some frequent conditions that need to be treated by an oral surgeon. Mouth cancer (including laryngeal papilloma) is also a prevalent ailment that needs treatment.
The nose is a typical area for dental surgeons to treat issues such nasal polyps, septal deviation or a deviated septum, and excessive bone growth brought on by trauma or infection.
The sinuses – Sinusitis is a common illness that calls for oral surgery treatment. Cysts and infections in or around the sinuses are two additional disorders that need surgical excision for optimal care.