Pre-Prosthetic Surgery

What is Pre-Prosthetic Surgery

Pre-prosthetic surgery refers to oral and maxillofacial surgical procedures performed to prepare a patient’s mouth for the placement of a dental prosthesis. If you require partial or full dentures, you must be thoroughly examined by an oral surgeon to evaluate the shape and contours within your mouth. This helps determine if you will need any type of pre-prosthetic surgery. The goal of this surgery is to prepare the bone and soft tissue of your mouth to improve the denture-bearing structure of the jaws and gums. This will enable a proper fit of your dentures, which is necessary for full functionality, comfort, and facial appearance.

Because your dentures will rest directly on your alveolar bone ridge and gums, your oral surgeon in Birmingham, AL must ensure that this bone is appropriately shaped and sized before fitting you for dentures. Pre-prosthetic surgery is needed if you have gum recession or jawbone atrophy as a result of tooth loss or excess bone or gum tissue that may interfere with your dental restoration. Abnormal bone development can cause dentures to fit loosely, not only causing discomfort and reduced function but also impacting your oral health. Loose-fitting dentures or partials can cause other problems in your mouth that require more surgery. They also allow food and bacteria to accumulate underneath the prosthesis, which increases the risk of developing chronic bad breath and periodontal disease.

Types of Pre-Prosthetic Surgery

To ensure the optimal outcome in your pre-prosthetic surgery in Birmingham, Alabama, your oral surgeon will assess the causes of your bone or tissue irregularities and create a treatment plan to correct any issues that would compromise the fit of your dentures. While developing your unique treatment plan, your oral surgeon will consider the type of surgery you will require, the best techniques to implement during this surgery, the appropriate form of sedation for the procedure, and any grafting materials that might be needed. They may also consult with other dental specialists or surgeons to determine the most effective options for your needs.

Several types of pre-prosthetic surgery may be used, including:

Tooth Extractions

Severely misaligned or impacted teeth can prevent dentures from fitting properly, so your oral surgeon may complete a simple extraction or a surgical extraction to remove these teeth. A simple extraction occurs when the tooth is visible and easily accessible, while a surgical extraction is a more complex, invasive procedure that may involve the removal of bone or gum tissue as well.

Alveoloplasty

An alveoloplasty is a surgical procedure that smooths and reshapes the alveolus, or the bone portion of the jaw that holds the teeth. An uneven alveolar ridge prevents dentures from fitting properly, resulting in pressure, discomfort, and soreness. This irregular surface can occur due to congenital defects or result from a tooth extraction. Your oral surgeon will recontour the bone by carefully trimming sharp edges or bony protrusions..

Vestibuloplasty

A vestibulopathy is performed to reconstruct a shallow alveolar ridge that is insufficient for supporting snugly fitting dentures. Your oral surgeon in Birmingham, AL will use this procedure to increase the height of the alveolar ridge to enhance stability. By repositioning the vestibule or the tissue area between the teeth and cheeks.

Removal of Excess Bone

While some abnormal bone development is not usually concerning, moderate-to-large bone ridge irregularities require removal to ensure the secure fit of your dentures. Along with the alveolus, your oral surgeon may need to remove exostoses or tori. Exostoses are bony growths that develop along the alveolar ridge’s outer edges and touch the lips and cheeks, while tori are bony growths along the alveolar ridge’s lower ridge and touch the tongue or roof of the mouth. Often time, both tori and exostosis will enlarge with age.

Ridge Augmentation

Just as significant as excess bone, insufficient bone can also impact the fit of your dentures. After undergoing a tooth extraction, your alveolar ridge may shrink, causing the bone to recede from the tooth roots and often results in widespread bone loss. This is a complex problem to change the height of your ridge due to bone loss. Your oral surgeon will perform a bone graft to restore these shrunken areas, using your own bone, bone from an animal or donor, or a synthetic material.

Removal of Excess Gum Tissue

With age and jaw bone shrinkage, the gum tissue will often be excessive.This tissue can be revised to enable more properly fitting dentures. Wearing ill-fitting dentures can cause excessive bone loss in both the upper and lower jaw.

Benefits of Pre-Prosthetic Surgery

Pre-prosthetic surgical procedures performed by the oral surgeons of Buck and Phillps feature a number of significant benefits to your appearance, health, and well-being. Secure, comfortably fitting dentures allow you to enjoy full functionality when biting, chewing, and speaking. This allows you to consume a more well-rounded and nutritious diet, improving your overall health. Pre-prosthetic surgery corrects the profile and proportions of your smile, enhancing your appearance and removing years from your face. Because a properly fitting dental prosthetic will prevent excessive bone lossYour restored appearance will greatly boost your self-esteem, making you happier and allowing you to engage confidently with others.

Implants – and dentures

If you can not tolerate dentures, another option is dental implants. There are a variety of options concerning dental implants concerned with denture placement. For example, when there is severe bone loss in the jaws and not enough ridge to hold your denture in the proper position, dental implants can help stabilize an ill-fitting denture. It is impossible to restore your bite to what God gave us, but dental implants are a nice substitute. Dentures can be set on top of dental implants if you are a candidate for implant placement, to support and stabilize your denture. Options from several implants to a few can be discussed for your individual needs.

Pre-Prosthetic Surgery in Birmingham, Alabama

At Buck and Phillips Oral Surgery, our expert team of oral and maxillofacial surgeons can provide you with a full range of pre-prosthetic surgical procedures in Birmingham, AL. We are dedicated to offering our patients personalized, compassionate, top-quality care from the very beginning of their procedure and throughout the entire recovery process. We recognize the impact your smile has on your health and well-being, and will do everything we can to ensure the maximum level of comfort and deliver the best possible results. To learn more about pre-prosthetic surgery in Birmingham, Alabama, and how our team can help you, contact us online today.