Oral surgery

Oral surgery covers tooth extractions and minor surgical procedures in the mouth: from removing a tooth that can no longer be saved, through more difficult extractions, to wound care and draining an abscess.

We remove a tooth when other treatment can no longer save it. If it can be saved, we say so and propose treatment instead; the decision is yours, and the grounds for it are ours to give you.

Before the procedure we take you through what happens and through the anaesthetic. Tell us about any medicines you take and any conditions you are being treated for; some medicines affect clotting and healing, which changes how the procedure is done.

The procedure is done under local anaesthetic. Where needed the wound is sutured or dressed with a material that helps stop the bleeding, and where the shape of the bone has to be preserved for a later implant, a bone substitute is used. Afterwards you are given instructions: what to do in the first hours, what to eat, what to avoid, and when to call us.

The gap left by a removed tooth eventually tells on the neighbouring teeth and on your bite. We can talk about replacing it straight away, or later, once the wound has healed.