Dr. Richard Koh provides many common procedures, such as wisdom teeth extraction and dental implants, right in the comfort of his Leesburg, Virginia, clinic. He also offers sedation dentistry to put you at ease if you’re overly anxious about any procedure. If you need oral surgery, give Village Dentistry of Leesburg a call to set up your initial evaluation.
Dr. Koh recommends oral surgery for complex, extensive dental procedures. Several common conditions that result in oral surgery include:
An impacted tooth is a tooth stuck between the gum line and jawbone that doesn’t have enough room to emerge. Wisdom teeth are the most common teeth to become impacted. If they’re not extracted, impacted teeth can cause infection, jaw damage, and harm to neighboring teeth.
Oral surgery is recommended for dental implants. Dental implants involve placing a tooth anchor on the jawbone and attaching an artificial tooth.
If the jawbone grows improperly and causes you difficulty in daily life, you might need surgery to adjust it. You can get braces to reposition teeth, but surgery is the only method of repairing jaw misalignment.
The TMJ is the joint that connects the jawbone to the skull. Inflammation of this joint causes headaches and pain for some patients. If medication, physical therapy, and splints fail to relieve TMJ pain, Dr. Koh might suggest joint surgery.
During oral surgery, Dr. Koh administers local or general anesthetics, so you don’t feel any pain during the procedure. Once the anesthesia sets in, he performs the surgery. The surgery itself differs depending on what treatment you’re having.
If you’re conscious during the surgery, you might feel Dr. Koh working inside your mouth, but you won’t feel any pain. If you’re unconscious, you’ll have no physical experience of the surgery.
Dr. Koh gives you all the proper recommendations for recovery before you go home. He’ll provide guidance about eating, oral care, and any other pertinent information. He also prescribes antibiotics and pain medications, if necessary.
The anesthesia used during some procedures may leave you unable to drive home. You should discuss with Dr. Koh any arrangements and time off from work you may need.
Pain and swelling from oral surgery should go away within several days. If you get non-dissolvable stitches, Dr. Koh removes them after about a week.
