Gum tissue at the site of the implant is opened up to expose the bone. The bone is drilled and a titanium implant is inserted where the root of your tooth had been. Once the bone and gum has healed (3-6 months), the post is attached to the implant and the crown is placed over the post and cemented into place.

Parotidectomy: an incision (cut) is made in front of the ear and runs down below the jaw line. Part or all of the parotid gland is removed.

Superficial parotidectomy: an incision is made in front of the ear and runs down beneath the ear lobe. The superficial (top) lobe of the parotid gland is removed.

Submandibular gland surgery: an incision is made just below the jaw bone and the submandibular gland removed.

Wisdom teeth are the third molars right at the back of your mouth. They usually appear during your late teens or early twenties. If there is not enough room in your mouth they may partially erupt through the gum or not at all. This is referred to as an impacted wisdom tooth. 

Due to their location wisdom teeth can be difficult to clean and are more susceptible to decay, gum disease and recurrent infections. They can cause crowding of teeth and, on rare occasions, cysts and tumours develop around them.

Your dentist will advise if some or all of your wisdom teeth need to be removed.  Wisdom teeth will usually only be removed if your dentist believes they will be a significant compromise to your oral health.

Impacted tooth extraction

Your dentist may recommend extraction if you are at significantly greater risk of infection or tooth decay.  Impacted teeth may be removed by your dentist or they may refer you to an oral & maxillofacial surgeon.

An incision (cut) is made in your gum and access to the impacted tooth cleared by pushing aside gum tissue and, if necessary, removing some bone. The tooth is removed whole or in pieces and the gum stitched together over the hole.

An apicectomy is an operation where the very end of the root tip is removed.  It is usually undertaken when a root filling has failed to satisfactorily seal the root canal.  When this occurs, an abscess can form.  This may lie dormant for many years and then suddenly flare up resulting in an acute abscess.

To perform an apicectomy, a flap of the gum tissue must be reflected back.  Bone overlying the tooth root is then removed to expose the root.  The area around the end of the root is cleansed.  The very end of the root tip is excised and a small cavity prepared in the root surface.  This is then filled with a satisfactory root filling material, usually IRM.  The gum is then stitched back into place with dissolving stitches.

The use of a medical laser may be indicated for a number of procedures within the scope of oral surgery. Laser surgery may be more gentle and offer greater precision than other treatments. It is particularly useful for soft tissue surgery and has significant benefits in laser assisted removal of wisdom teeth.

Oral Surgery Associates is the first Dental Practice in Auckland to have the Sirona, Galileos, 3D, Cone Beam Xray machine. Galileos sets new standards by using much less radiation than conventional CT x-rays. This machine has the ability to produce a 3 dimensional picture of the patient's teeth and jaws, which benefits patients as the oral surgeon is able to see and diagnose conditions more accurately and before they become a real problem.

What is a 3D X-Ray?

As the name implies, 3D dental xrays now allow your oral surgeon to get a three dimensional picture of your teeth & jaws. This is done using a new technique called coned beam volumetric tomography.

This latest technology allows hundreds of low dose xrays to be taken from all around the patient's head. Sophisticated software then turns this into a 3D image that your oral surgeon can then use to get a good look at what is going on inside your jaws and teeth. This reveals hidden problems or shows details that are not easily seen in older types of XRays.

Is it a "CAT" Scan?

While similar in principle, the Cone Beam system from Sirona that your dentist has invested in uses about 150 times less radiation than a Medical CT or 'CAT' scan. It is around the same as a traditional film based dental xray, less in some cases. Or to put it another way about the same amount that you would get sitting in an airplane for around 30 minutes.