Our Services / Oral Surgery

What is oral surgery?

Oral surgery uses special tools and sedation to correct complex issues affecting your mouth or jaw. These procedures are time-consuming and typically require several visits to complete. 

But Designer Smiles is unique. Our practice is a surgical center, allowing Dr. Ospina to conduct most operations in a single appointment using IV Sedation.

What are the types of oral surgery?

At Designer Smiles, Dr. Ospina offers several types of oral surgery, including:

Tooth extractions

During a tooth extraction, Dr. Ospina uses dental forceps to carefully loosen and remove one or multiple teeth. After extracting your tooth, he usually does a bone graft to fill the empty socket with the root of the tooth used to be and closes the incision site with sutures.  See the service page on Bone Grafts to learn more about the benefits of accepting this treatment. 

Sinus augmentation

If you want dental implants but don’t have enough bone in your upper jaw to support them, Dr. Ospina might recommend a sinus augmentation. During this type of surgery, he implants a bone graft in your upper jaw. Following placement, the graft encourages the production of new, healthy bone tissue.

Bone graft

A bone graft is very similar to a sinus augmentation. The only difference is that Dr. Ospina can place the graft material in your upper or lower jaw. Dr. Ospina uses a special technique when placing bone grafts using Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP). 

PRP is used by drawing your blood into a vial and spinning the vial in a centrifuge to separate the platelets from other ingredients in the blood. Those platelets are then combined with other bone grafting materials. PRP is a well-known treatment in the medical and dental field that is known to promote healing and improve treatment results. 

Periodontal surgery

Periodontal surgery is a group of procedures that treat periodontitis (gum disease). Gum disease is characterized by bone loss which can be observed in the 3D Scan that is taken of each patient. Periodontal procedures include Scaling and Root Planing, Gingival Flap Surgery, and Osseous Surgery. Dr. Ospina determines which type of periodontal treatment you need during your periodontal exam according to the amount of bone loss present.

If you have severely receding gums, Dr. Ospina might recommend a cosmetic periodontal procedure called a gum graft or gum flap surgery. These procedures take healthy tissue from another area of your mouth and stitch them over the areas of receding tissue.

Endodontic surgery

Endodontic surgery treats problems affecting the tooth pulp — a substance inside each of your teeth. Common endodontic procedures include root canal therapy, pulpotomy (baby root canal), and apicoectomy (root end surgery).  Root canal therapy requires that a crown be placed. At Designer Smiles, thanks to our on-site lab, you can receive root canal therapy and a crown on the same day.

Skeletal anchorage surgery

If you have an extreme over or underbite that can’t be corrected with traditional orthodontic appliances, Dr. Ospina might recommend skeletal anchorage surgery. That involves Dr. Ospina inserting a series of temporary plates and screws into your jaw to gradually improve its position. The procedure is a great option for patients with gummy smiles that wish to reduce the amount of gum shown when they smile. 

Robot-assisted dental surgery

At Designer Smiles, Dr. Ospina uses Yomi® robot-assisted dental surgery to place dental implants. The Yomi system combines artificial intelligence and special tools to increase implant placement accuracy and precision. Furthermore, robotic implant surgery minimizes inflammation and the recovery time for the patient. Visit our Robotic Surgery Service page for more information. 

How do I prepare for oral surgery?

Before you undergo oral surgery, Dr. Ospina conducts a comprehensive oral exam. During your visit, let him know about any prescription drugs, vitamins, or supplements you take regularly.

If you have an underlying condition like heart disease or diabetes, let Dr. Ospina know about that too. These issues won’t prevent you from undergoing surgery, but they may increase the risk of complications, so it’s important that Dr. Ospina is aware. This may also affect the trajectory of your dental treatment. This is especially important if you want to be sedated for your treatment.

To learn more about oral surgery, make an appointment at Designer Smiles by calling our office today or scheduling online.