Oral Surgery

A number of conditions may require oral surgery, including:

Impacted Teeth. Wisdom teeth, otherwise known as third molars, are the last set of teeth to
develop. Sometimes these teeth emerge from the gum line and the jaw is large enough to allow
room for them, but most of the time, this is not the case. More often, one or more of these third
molars fails to emerge in proper alignment or fails to fully emerge through the gum line and
becomes entrapped or "impacted" between the jawbone and the gum tissue. Impacted wisdom
teeth can result in swelling, pain, and infection of the gum tissue surrounding the wisdom teeth. In
addition, impacted wisdom teeth can cause permanent damage to nearby teeth, gums, and bone and
can sometimes lead to the formation of cysts or tumors that can destroy sections of the jaw.
Therefore, dentists recommend people with impacted wisdom teeth have them surgically removed.
But it is not just wisdom teeth that sometimes become impacted and need to be removed. Other
teeth, such as the cuspids and the bicuspids can become impacted and can cause the same types of
problems described with impacted wisdom teeth.
Tooth Loss. Dental implants are an option for tooth loss due to an accident or infection or as an
alternative to bridges and dentures. The implants are tooth root substitutes that are surgically
anchored in place in the jawbone and act to stabilize the artificial teeth to which they are attached.
Suitable candidates for dental implants need to have an adequate bone level and density, must not
be prone to infection, and must be willing to maintain good oral hygiene practices.
Jaw-Related Problems
● Unequal jaw growth. In some individuals, the upper and lower jaws fail to grow properly.
This can cause difficulty in speaking, eating, swallowing, and breathing. While some of these
problems -- like improper teeth alignment -- can be corrected with braces and other
orthodontic appliances, more serious problems require oral surgery to move all or part of
the upper jaw, lower jaw, or both, into a new position that is more balanced, functional, and
healthy.
● Improve fit of dentures. For first-time denture wearers, oral surgery can be done to correct
any irregularities of the jaws prior to creating the dentures to ensure a better fit. Oral
surgery can also help long-term denture wearers. Supporting bone often deteriorates over
time, resulting in dentures that no longer fit properly. In severe cases, an oral surgeon can
add a bone graft to areas where little bone remains.
● Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders. Dysfunction of the TMJ, the small joint in front
of the ear where the skull and lower jaw meet, is a common source of headache and facial
pain. Most patients with TMJ disorders can be successfully treated with a combination of
oral medications, physical therapy, and splints. However, joint surgery is an option for
advanced cases and when the diagnosis indicates a specific problem in the joint.
Other Conditions Treated by Oral Surgery
● Facial injury repair. Oral surgery is often used to repair fractured jaws and broken facial
bones.
● Lesion removal and biopsy. Oral surgeons can take a small sample of abnormal growth or
tissue and then send it for laboratory testing for identification. Some lesions can be managed
medically or can be removed by the oral surgeon.
● Cleft lip and cleft palate repair. Cleft lip and cleft palate result when all or portions of the
mouth and nasal cavity do not grow together properly during fetal development. The result
is a gap in the lip and/or a split or opening in the roof of the mouth. Oral surgeons work as
part of a team of health care specialists to correct these problems through a series of
treatments and surgical procedures over many years.
● Facial infections. Pain and swelling in the face, neck, or jaws may indicate an infection.
Infections in this area of the body can sometimes develop into life-threatening emergencies
if not treated promptly and effectively. An oral surgeon can assist in diagnosing and treating
this problem. Surgical treatment, if needed, may include cutting into and draining the
infected area, as well as extracting any teeth that might be involved.
● Snoring/sleep apnea. When conservative nonsurgical methods such as positive pressure air
machines and dental splint appliances fail to alleviate this problem, surgery can be tried.
Surgical procedures involve removing the soft tissues of the oropharynx (an area in the back
portion of the mouth) or the lower jaw. Laser surgery is a newer treatment option.

I. Answer the following questions:

1. What conditions may require oral surgery?
2. What can impacted wisdom teeth  result in?
3. What can impacted wisdom teeth cause?
4. What are lost teeth replaced by?
5. What common jaw-related problems require oral surgery?
6. How is unequal jaw growth surgically managed?
7. How can oral surgery help long-term denture wearers?
8. What temporomandibular joint disorders require oral surgery?
9. How is oral surgery applied in facial injury repair?
10. How do oral surgeons perform cleft lip and cleft palate repair?

II. Match the words from column A with the words from column B:

A B

1. impacted a. lip

2. temporomandibular b. emergencies
joint 

3. cleft c. procedure

4. life-threatening d. option

5. surgical e. teeth alignment

6. oral f. graft

7. treatment g. disorder

8. improper h. testing
 9. bone i. surgeon

10. be prone to j. practices

11. denture k. teeth

12. laboratory l. infection

13. oral hygiene m. wearers

III. True or False:

1. Impacted wisdom teeth are entrapped or "impacted" between the cheek and the gum
tissue.
2. Only wisdom teeth become impacted.
3. Dental implants are a treatment of choice for tooth loss.
4. The upper and lower jaws that fail to grow properly can cause difficulty in speaking,
eating, swallowing, and breathing.
5. A bone graft is necessary in areas where there is large bone support.
6. TMJ disorders can be successfully treated only with oral medications.
7. Cleft palate repair requires physical therapy.
8. Facial infections can sometimes develop into life-threatening emergencies if not treated
promptly and effectively.
9. Sleep apnea can be managed by laser surgery.
10. Pain and swelling in the face, neck, or jaws are not indicative of an infection.

IV. Find the synonyms of the following words. Make up some sentences with the
words below:
a. to allow room for

b. entrapped

c. condition

d. swelling

e. to deteriorate

f. to be prone to

g. health care specialist

h. to alleviate

i. injury

j. to involve

k. to emerge
V. Fill in the blanks with the missing words:

management, entrapped, deteriorated, injuries, swelling, prone to, alleviate

1. Several train passengers received serious  ………………………………. in the crash.

2. Children are ………………………………….. common colds.
3. Wisdom teeth can be ………………………………. completely within the soft tissue or the jawbone
or only partially break through or erupt through the gum.
4. A simple tooth extraction will have minimal ……………………, whereas a complex tooth
extraction of impacted wisdom teeth or the removal of multiple teeth may result in a
significant one.
5. Analgesics  are a class of medications designed to ………………………. pain.
6. She was taken into hospital last week when her condition suddenly ………………………….
7. Patients need dentists` support and advice in the ………………………….. of all traumatic dental
injuries.

VI. What nouns are the following verbs used in the article with?
Use the verbs below with some other suitable nouns:

Example: to lead to trauma/ to lead to cyst formation

to result in ………………………………………………………………………………..
to anchor ………………………………………………………………………………….
to stabilize …………………………………………………………………………………..
to maintain …………………………………………………………………………………
to ensure …………………………………………………………………………………….
to indicate …………………………………………………………………………………..
to repair …………………………………………………………………………………..
to take ……………………………………………………………………………………..
to manage …………………………………………………………………………………
to remove ………………………………………………………………………………….
to alleviate …………………………………………………………………………………

Reference

https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/oral-surgery