Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS) is a surgical specialty in dentistry that focuses on treating injuries, diseases, and defects affecting the maxillofacial regions. The maxillofacial region forms the facial skeleton and is comprised of the jaws, bones of the forehead, and the face.

Types of Surgeries that Oral and Maxillofacial Specialists Perform

Below are some of the surgeries that are carried out by OMS specialists, which essentially form the basis of defining this surgical specialty:

• Dento-Alveolar And Oral Surgery

  This is a surgical procedure carried out to treat teeth disorders. It encompasses teeth extraction, dental implants, aligning of the alveolar bone, as well as teeth exposure for orthodontic traction.

• Trauma Surgery

  This is done on patients who have had bone fractures on their face, neck, and head to realign those fractured bones.

• Orthognathic Surgery

  This is performed in conjunction with teeth movement where prosthetic devices will be placed. It is done on the orbital bones, cheeks, chin, nasal structures, and on both the upper and lower jaws.

• Congenital Deformities Surgery
  

  This surgery type seeks to correct congenital defects on the face.

• Dental Implants Surgery
  

  Dental Implant is done to support facial and oral prosthetic devices. It involves surgically removing soft and bony tissues where dentures are to be placed.

• Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Surgery

  TMJ is done to correct inflammatory disorders that affect the soft tissues of the joint, as well as those affecting the bones.

• Tumor And Cancer Surgery
  

  This procedure surgically removes tumors, including cancerous ones, in the face.

Procedures In Oral and Maxillofacial Surgical

• OMS procedures are performed to treat diseases, defects, and injuries on the mouth, skull, face, and the connected structures. Here are some of the reasons why you would need to visit a maxillofacial surgeon and the procedures that will be undertaken to resolve them:
• Extraction of wisdom teeth – done when wisdom teeth get impacted and cause pain or if they have an infection.
• Surgical uncovering of impacted teeth – done to align the impacted teeth. If the teeth are crowded or badly displaced, they may require extraction.
• Replacing absent teeth by placing dental implants – the implants on the lower and upper jaws provide a base for attaching artificial teeth or bridges.
• Bone grafting to facilitate implants – a bone grafting is necessitated where an implant requires additional bone for holding onto. A specialist will often source this grafting bone from the hip or from a different part of the jaw. An artificial bone may also be used.
• Orthognathic or jaw surgery – this procedure is performed on the jaws to correctly position them. With correctly relating jaws, a person is able to chew and speak properly as well as give excellent facial aesthetics.
• Craniofacial and pediatric maxillofacial surgery – this early surgery is done to correct congenital deformities such as palate, cleft lip, and underdeveloped faces on babies.

TMJ Surgery

• jaw disorders, such as locked jaw and ankylosis, may call for surgery.
• Nose restructuring, also known as Rhinoplasty.
• Chin restructuring, also known as Genioplasty.
• Removal of cysts and tumors on the face and jaws.
• Frenectony – a procedure done to correct conditions affecting soft oral tissues, such as tongue ties, lesions, or mucous cysts.