All About Cleft Lip & Palate Surgery from a Maxillofacial Surgeon
A cleft lip or palate occurs once in every 600 live births. Some children are born with both. These orofacial clefts can range from mild, affecting little more than appearance, to debilitating, eliminating the child’s ability to perform vital functions like breathing and swallowing. If your child has a cleft lip and/or palate, surgery can […]
Planning for Your Dental Implant Procedures
Dental implants have been around for many decades, with proven long-term success as a permanent tooth replacement option. Implant planning technology has taken implant surgery to a new level. Technology & the Dental Implant Process Wilmington Oral Surgery has the advanced technology in our office to provide cutting-edge treatment. We combine the digital 3-D cone beam […]
Understanding the Risks of Mixing Aspirin and Anesthesia
Millions of adults in the US take anticoagulant medications daily, also known as blood thinners. Aspirin is the most well-known, but there are several other prescription blood thinners a person may use to prevent blood clots, which can be life-threatening. Much of the population that’s on anticoagulants are older adults who have a history of […]
Pediatric Dental and Facial Trauma
Dental and facial trauma is not uncommon in the pediatric population. These injuries can range from a broken or avulsed (knocked out) tooth, to facial lacerations, to fractures of facial bones. Over the years, we have seen and treated all of these types of trauma. Denta Trauma in Adolescence When children are very young (age […]
Preventing Opioid Addiction with Alternative Pain Solutions
We’re living through a devastating health crisis in America: opioid addiction. In 2017, 75,000 Americans died from overdose – that’s more Americans than were killed during the entire Vietnam War. The US Department of Health and Human Services declared the opioid academic a public health emergency. But that hasn’t stopped its momentum; by 2020, that […]
Information About Mouth Cancer from an Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon
While mouth cancer isn’t as common as many other types of cancer, it’s still a serious public health concern; more than 410,000 people in the U.S. are living with the condition. While it can be treated successfully, it is often not detected until late in its development. Oral cancer occurs in men twice as often as […]
September is Dental Implant Awareness Month
With the theme “What’s your reason to smile?,” the American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID) is sponsoring Dental Implant Awareness Month in September. The celebration focuses on all the ways dental implants can improve lives. By sharing information about the dental implant process – surgery, recovery, materials, cost – the Academy hopes to help candidates for implants […]
Reasons Why Someone Would Need a Tooth Extraction
Most of permanent teeth are good for life, but sometimes a tooth needs to be pulled. There are actually quite a few reasons an adult might need a tooth or two removed: Tooth decay may lead to a cavity large enough that the tooth cannot be saved. If facial trauma that involves a major break […]
Understanding Corrective Jaw Surgery
Orthognathic surgery, also known as corrective jaw surgery, is applied when there’s something wrong with your bite. The structural issues may be congenital, health-related, or a result of facial trauma. Jaw surgery manipulates the position of the upper and lower jaws so they align correctly. Jaw surgery can not only correct a wide range of […]
“I Never Had My Wisdom Teeth Out. Should I?”
Do you still have wisdom teeth? Not everyone is born with them, but most who are have them surgically removed as teens or young adults. Many dentists believe it’s better to remove wisdom teeth at a young age, before the roots and bone are fully formed, because they are more easily removed at this stage, […]
What To Expect When You Need A Dental Implant
Dental implants restore natural function and aesthetics. Whether you are missing one, multiple, or all of your teeth, dental implants can provide the foundation to smile and eat with confidence. Implants consist of three components: the implant body, which replaces the tooth root an abutment, which acts as a connector between the implant and the […]
Avoiding Gingivitis
Gingivitis is a type of gum disease that leads to sore gums and caused by plaque buildup. Plaque is a sticky film, comprised of bacteria, that is found on the teeth and gums. The bacteria can produce toxins that irritate the gums. When plaque hardens into tartar, it can’t be removed with brushing. If your […]
