Oral Surgery

No one likes to think about dental injuries, but they’re a fact of life. Contact sports, jobs that require heavy physical labor and the use of heavy equipment, accidental falls, vehicular accidents, fights, animal attacks, even child’s play can be the cause of dental trauma.

Of course, prevention of dental injuries, when possible, is always the best way to handle mouth trauma. For those participating in sports or other activities that hold significant risk of mouth injury, prevention involves aligning protruding front teeth through the application of dental braces, and the use of facemasks and mouthguards.

But let’s face it: Most of the time, mouth trauma isn’t something you plan for…it just happens. There are all kinds of dental injuries that might occur:

• A minor broken (fractured) tooth involving chipped enamel only – This can usually be quickly and easily repaired in a single brief visit.
• A deeper fracture of both a tooth’s enamel and the dentin (pulp or core) – A serious fracture that exposes both the dentin and the pulp tissue should be treated immediately. Time is of the essence in keeping the pulp tissue viable. Death of pulp tissue can lead to serious tooth infection and abscess.
• Complete knocking out of teeth from the jaw – The amount of time that a tooth is out of its socket is also the most important variable affecting the success of re-implantation of a knocked-out tooth. Care should be taken to handle the knocked-out tooth only by its crown and not by its root.

Those who suffer least from these traumatic events are people who already work with a dentist capable of alleviating immediate pain, and performing quality, lasting repairs to damaged teeth, bone and tissue. Dr. Mark is a highly trained oral surgeon whose work is so good, he teaches his techniques to surgical students at Philadelphia’s highly regarded Albert Einstein Medical Center, his alma mater.

Dr. Mark can also perform oral surgery in non-emergency, non-trauma situations, such as

• Wisdom teeth extraction – Wisdom teeth are what’s known as “vestigial” growth, meaning they’re left over from a time in human evolution when they were important, but we no longer need them. Because of this, the mouths of most modern people actually don’t have enough space to comfortably accommodate wisdom teeth. When they start to grow in, they can cause everything from mouth pain and headaches to misalignment of teeth and bite problems. This is why most folks have them removed.
• Cancer Exams/Biopsies – Most people aren’t aware that an alert dentist can often spot signs of oral and throat cancer during routine checkups, before most people become aware they are afflicted. This is why regular dental exams are important. Because Dr. Mark is an accomplished surgeon, he can perform biopsies and other cancer-related surgery right here in our office.
• Perio-Plastic Surgery – Periodontal plastic surgery restores form and function to

• gum tissue
• the periodontal ligament
• the bone that supports your teeth or an individual tooth

The true long-term goal of periodontal surgery is increasing the life expectancy of teeth and their usefulness. This type of surgery will not cure for periodontal disease, but it can help mitigate some of its results. Essentially, periodontal surgery removes tissue that has been transformed by the disease, then reconstructs the gums and surrounding tissues to better support the teeth, improve their function, and recreate a normal appearance.

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Office hours

 

Monday	9-8
Tuesday	9-12
Wednesday	9-5
Thursday	9-7