Albany Oral-Maxillofacial Surgery Group

The most common local anesthetic in oral surgeries is lidocaine, which is metabolized by the body within a couple of hours. It was developed by Swedish chemist Nils Löfgren, whose partner, Bengt Lundqvist, tested the drug through self-injection.

A protruding jaw can create a number of problems, from difficulty breathing to issues with biting and chewing and even speech problems. An oral surgeon can assess the misalignment of the jaw and make the proper corrections with orthognathic surgery.

While smoking is associated with roughly 80% of oral cancer cases, alcohol, poor oral hygiene, improper nutrition and even genetics can all play a role. If you have any reason to suspect you might have oral cancer, schedule your appointment with us as soon as possible for testing and treatment.

It’s important to remember that the implants necessary to hold some types of dental fixtures in place can’t be done in your dentist’s office. When this is the case, you’ll often need to work with a dental surgeon and then go back to your regular dentist.

You know flossing is the best way to avoid pesky bacteria that can hide between teeth. Care to guess the ideal length for a convenient strip of dental floss? If you guessed 18 inches or so, you're right. It's long enough to wrap around your fingers for a tighter grip.

What is dry socket? This condition, which can be quite painful, can occur after the extraction of an adult tooth. In fact, oral surgeons say this is the most common potential complication of a tooth extraction. Dry socket involves the blood clot where the tooth was removed dissolving.

The dental implant itself is usually a titanium post that is connected to the jawbone. If the procedure is for one implant, it isn’t unusual for the permanent crown to be attached during the procedure. For more complicated cases, particularly when several teeth are involved, it can take a few weeks to a few months for bone tissue to grow around the implant before the crown is attached.

Unfortunately, the type of sedation and painkillers a regular dentist can use during a difficult wisdom tooth extraction may leave you feeling more of the procedure than you’d like. Remember, an oral surgeon will have more options for helping you have a painless surgery.

If you’ve been living with jaw pain for a while, you may find that the splint or mouth guard you got from your dentist simply isn’t able to alleviate enough of your TMJ symptoms. Remember, there are surgical options that could help to eliminate the source of your jaw pain.

What is a sinus lift? It is a surgery that uses a graft to add bone to the upper jaw, often when dental implants are required but there isn’t enough bone height in the area to support the implants. The bone is added between the jaw and the sinuses, located on either side of your nose.

There are many reasons why someone may have lost bone density in their upper jaw and require a sinus lift. Gum disease is one common explanation as is the loss of a tooth, which also leads to resorption of the bone. New bone will be grafted in the upper jaw in the sinus lift, which has become a fairly common procedure in the past 15 years.

Although your regular dentist may be able to do most of your crown work in their office, there can be times when it takes the skill of a surgeon to implant the posts for them. If you’re ready to take steps to correct the issues in your mouth, we’re always happy to help.

You can usually return to work almost immediately after having an oral surgeon extract a tooth. Mild soreness will likely remain for a few days, and it is important to guard against dry socket for at least four or five days. Dry socket occurs when the blood clot that forms in the hole where the tooth was to protect the bone and nerve endings is dislodged.