Dental Treatment & Surgery in Henrico, VA
At Short Pump Dental, we believe everyone deserves a beautiful, healthy smile to call their own. That's why our doctors and highly trained team of dental specialists are dedicated to protecting our patients' teeth through high-quality dental care, and why we work to design holistic treatment plans that keep our patients' teeth healthy in the long term. Most of the care we provide takes the form of routine general dental procedures like cleanings and examinations - but in some cases, we need to use more extensive treatments like oral surgery.
About Oral Surgery
If you're like most people, the idea of "surgery" is a little scary to you. After all, most surgeries require a hospital stay, general anesthesia, and a lengthy, often uncomfortable recovery - but oral surgery is different. Most oral surgical procedures are performed in the office under local anesthesia, and oftentimes our patients require a minimal, mild recovery period. It all depends on the procedure, which can range from being small and routine, like dental implants, or more extensive, like jaw realignment.
Common Oral Surgery Procedures
We can perform oral surgery procedures to replace damaged teeth, fight the spread of disease or infection, make changes to the structure of the bones and face, and many other applications. We're proud to provide a variety of oral surgery procedures at our office:
- Tooth Extraction: While we try to avoid tooth extraction, in some cases, it's the best option to help you maintain a healthy smile. Extracting impacted wisdom teeth is extremely common, and some damaged or diseased teeth are better extracted than saved. In any case, this is a routine procedure, and we can use a variety of methods to replace the extracted tooth.
Dental Implants: These are among the most effective methods for tooth replacement. Dental implants have the unique property of osseointegration, which means they literally fuse the jawbone and provide a sturdy, natural support base for the replacement tooth. Plus, we can custom-shape and color match your new tooth to perfectly match your smile. - Biopsies & Oral Diagnosis: If we find a suspicious lump or lesion, a biopsy can help us determine what the problem is. Biopsies are important because serious conditions like oral cancer are easiest to treat if caught early - and this simple procedure can help us diagnose a condition before it's too late.
- Snoring & Sleep Apnea: Sleep apnea is an incredibly common condition, and we may be able to cure the problem completely by removing excess tissue at the back of the throat.
- TMD: In general, we'll attempt to treat TMD (Temporomandibular joint disorder or chronic jaw pain) through non-surgical methods, but if those fail, we may consider oral surgery to fix the problem.
What to Expect
Before performing your oral surgery, we'll take a series of x-rays, photographs, and measurements to aid in forming a complete diagnosis and creating a detailed treatment plan. After we've finished your plan, we'll walk you through the procedure step by step, explaining what you should expect and what your options are for anesthesia and other aspects of the treatment. We want you to be as informed as possible, so we encourage you to ask any questions you may have. Recovery from oral surgery depends completely on the procedure you have, so we'll talk with you about the recovery process after forming a treatment plan. Be sure to let us know about any medications you're taking, whether or not you smoke, and any chronic health conditions you may have. With careful planning and consistent communication, we'll work together to help you achieve a healthy bite and a beautiful smile.
Contact Your Henrico, VA Dentist
Oral surgery may sound a little intimidating, but trust us: there's nothing to worry about. Feel free to call us at 804-747-0116 with any questions, reach out to us at our contact page, or use our easy online form to schedule a consultation at our Henrico, VA office. We can't wait to hear from you, and we're excited to help you achieve a gorgeous new smile through quality dental treatment!
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