Rest assured that your oral surgeon is eager and willing to answer any questions that you may have, at any point in the process. We’ve included a few of the most common patient questions below, but don’t hesitate to reach out if you need additional information that’s not reflected in that list.
Types of Oral Surgery
Before we get into answering those questions, it can be helpful to explain exactly what we mean by oral surgery, which encompasses any type of dental treatment involving surgical intervention. Some of the most common oral surgery procedures include:
- Wisdom tooth extraction
- Dental implant surgery
- Corrective jaw surgery
- Treatment for facial trauma
While each of these interventions is unique and tailored to the patient’s specific situation, they share some commonalities as well. As such, many patients ask similar questions when preparing for oral surgery.
Oral Surgery Patient FAQs
The questions below reflect some of the questions we hear most often from patients. We have also included answers that you might hear from an oral surgeon, although we encourage you to always consult with your own provider for specifics involving your case.
- Will it hurt? We use local anesthetic – and sedation in many cases – to give the patient optimal comfort during the procedure. After the anesthetic and sedatives wear off, patients might experience mild discomfort, but it can usually be managed with over-the-counter painkillers.
- Will I be under sedation? Many patients will choose sedation for their own comfort (see above), but we understand that patients may have some reservations. Discuss this aspect of your care with your oral surgeon.
- Why do I need to have surgery to have my wisdom teeth removed? Wisdom teeth are often impacted, which means that they are trapped in bone tissue that has to be surgically removed before those teeth can be extracted.
- What can I expect from the recovery process? Recovery tends to be specific to the type of procedure and can range from a few days to a couple of weeks or more. Make sure to follow all post-operative directives provided by your oral surgeon to make sure that you have a smooth recovery.
Please don’t hesitate to ask any oral surgery questions you may have, whether they come up pre-operatively or after the procedure. We are here to help you navigate the process as smoothly as possible.