Oral surgery is a special area of dentistry that specialises in conditions of the mouth or jaw. Many of the procedures are more complicated than routine dental procedures, and a dental surgeon is required to undertake three years additional training to qualify. An oral surgeon can undertake a whole range of procedures, including removal of wisdom teeth, which can be more difficult to remove than the other teeth, taking biopsies from areas of the mouth, surgery relating to the bone in the mouth and jaw, including bone grafts, and treatment of swelling and infections within the mouth and teeth.
I am pleased to introduce Doctor Marie O’Neill – Marie is an oral surgeon with a great deal of experience and an interest in oral surgery and implant dentistry. Implant dentistry is another very important part of oral surgery, where missing teeth can be replaced with crowns or bridges. Sometimes a bone graft will be needed to give a solid base to anchor the implant to. Marie offers a great deal of specialised procedures, and is excellent with anxious patients – she offers intravenous conscious sedation and general anaesthesia to patients who are feeling nervous about the procedure.
Dr. Marie O’Neill, Specialist in Oral Surgery
Wisdom teeth removal is a large part of Marie’s job – we often hear of people having problems with their wisdom teeth, and these teeth pose a greater challenge to a dentist than all the other teeth. Not everyone needs wisdom teeth removed, but, because they are larger teeth and they are positioned at the back of the mouth they are more likely to cause problems than the other teeth. They don’t usually start to come through until early adulthood. Some of the problems that lead to the wisdom tooth’s removal include gum disease around the area, a cyst attached to the tooth, and wisdom teeth that have become impacted – trapped in the jaw.
Of course, there are many different procedures that oral surgeons treat, if you do find yourself in need of Marie’s services, you know that you will be looked after and are safe hands!
