Are you planning to have oral surgery in the future and thinking, is oral surgery medical or dental? It makes sense that oral surgery is commonly performed as a dental technique. However, many individuals are not aware that oral surgical treatment can also be performed for medical purposes. In fact, when you go to a medical center, they can provide various oral surgeries to treat any medical conditions related to your oral cavity. Keep reading to learn more about oral surgery for dental and medical reasons, including the common types of surgical treatment. Visit Dental 266 in Burwood if you need dental treatment in Sydney.
Understanding Oral Surgeries
Oral surgery, also referred to as oral and maxillofacial surgery, is one of the specialties in dentistry. It includes diagnosing and treating a wide range of diseases, injuries, and defects affecting the head, neck, mouth, jaw, and face. Usually, a dental health professional is a trained expert who can perform certain kinds of oral surgeries.
Is Oral Surgery A Medical or A Dental Procedure?
Generally, the appropriate answer is that oral surgery is viewed as both medical and dental. Many forms of oral surgical procedures can specifically help dental patients to manage any medical problems. However, several oral surgeries are completed to explicitly treat dental-related issues.
Oral Surgery for Medical Reasons
When you have inflammation or infection in the mouth that needs oral surgery, you address a medical condition. Some common examples of medical conditions that may require undergoing the oral medical
procedure are:
- Bruxism
- Impacted teeth
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- Facial trauma
- Head and neck cancers
Oral Surgery For Dental Reasons
Dental oral surgery usually incorporates addressing dental issues such as underbites or upper teeth sticking out too far. However, a dental abscess may be medical and dental since this treatment can be under your medical or dental benefits or insurance plans. Suppose you are not sure if your condition falls under the category of a medical or dental procedure. You can ask a trusted dental provider or click on this link to visit their website to give you more information.
In any case, some common examples of dental conditions for dental reasons include:
- Dental infection
- Periodontal disease
- Teeth alignment or missing teeth issues
- Mouth bone loss
The Most Common Types of Oral Surgery
Here are some of the common types of procedures that quite often require oral surgery, including:
Wisdom Tooth Extraction
Your dentist can perform a regular tooth extraction. However, in the case of wisdom teeth, you may need the help of an oral surgeon. Though some people have normal wisdom teeth development, others don’t. Sometimes, wisdom teeth do not erupt entirely or develop under the gums. This can be painful and lead to other oral health problems. If you are worried about your wisdom teeth, ask a professional if you’re experiencing issues like jaw pain, red or swollen gums, or trouble opening your mouth. When wisdom teeth do not erupt properly, surgery is the ideal way to deal with them.
Dental Implants
A dental implant is a surgical procedure. This treatment includes surgically placing a small metal post into your jawbone and then grafting a piece of the gum tissue over it. So if you have one or more missing teeth, dental implants can be the best permanent replacements for natural teeth.
Sleep Apnea Correction
Most of the time, a CPAP machine or other intervention can help manage issues with sleep apnea. However, those options are not usually the best method to permanently treat sleep apnea. Fortunately, oral surgery 
can help fix sleep apnea by opening up the airway and making it possible for individuals to breathe better when they are sleeping.
Jaw Surgery
An oral surgical procedure can help correct some jaw issues that might create significant problems with chewing and speaking. Usually, these jaw complications occur because of jaw injury, improper jaw development, or TMJ disorder. An oral surgeon can deal with these conditions, helping you to speak and chew without pain or other problems.
Reconstructive Surgery
Sometimes an injury or accident may cause so much harm to the mouth, jaw, or face that it may need reconstructive surgery. However, this surgery is also applicable for those people who neglect their teeth for a very long time, helping them fix the issues related to their teeth and mouth.
Foods To Eat After Oral Surgery
Following oral surgery, you may need to change your diet for liquid or soft foods for a couple of days or longer until your mouth heals. If possible, fill your diet with nutrient-rich foods such as vegetables, fruits, eggs, beans, low-fat dairy, and lean meats.
Affordable Oral Surgery Insights
Oral surgical procedures may be covered by medical or dental insurance relying upon your plan and the form of surgery you need. Without health insurance, oral surgery can be very costly.
In fact, if oral surgery is medically necessary, your health or medical insurance may get the expense of the surgery either in whole or in part. The insurance may also cover your monthly check-up and clean appointments if medically necessary. In short, the right health insurance plan could help you save money on the total expense of the procedure you need.
References:
What is Maxillofacial Surgery?
https://www.summitfacial.com/what-is-maxillofacial-surgery/
Obstructive sleep apnea.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obstructive-sleep-apnea/symptoms-causes/syc-20352090
Dental Implants Procedure, Types, Problems, and Cost.