Here are five reasons why you may need to take your child to an oral surgeon:
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Baby teeth extraction
Sometimes baby teeth get stuck or infected as they come out. There are many reasons why children need assistance getting their baby (primary) teeth removed, but rest assured that such occasions are commonplace.
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Permanent (adult) teeth extraction
If the wisdom teeth arrive early – if the child is precocious and wise ahead of her years – we may need to remove them at an earlier age. The same goes for other teeth, if the jaw lacks sufficient room for all of the teeth to sit alongside each other comfortably.
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Canine exposure
This has nothing to do with dogs or puppies. This is all about having the adult canine teeth come in properly. Occasionally these crucial teeth do not erupt as they should, because the teeth are crowded. If your child needs braces, the orthodontist may request a “canine exposure” procedure to help these teeth come in.
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Facial injuries
It happens! A lot. Kids fall down, or get hit with a baseball, and they break teeth. We can help with that. Some cases we work with involve loose teeth, or teeth that have been knocked out, and others involve jaw fractures. Whatever the situation may be, these are very common, and in most cases are very easy to treat.
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Frenectomy
A frenulum is a piece of tissue that can grow in different parts of the mouth. Sometimes it is necessary to remove this excess tissue, either inside the upper lip (a labial frenectomy) or under the tongue (a lingual frenectomy).
