General Anaesthetic / Hospital

We understand that dental visits can be overwhelming and can cause high levels of anxiety for some patients especially if extensive procedures like Wisdom tooth surgery is involved.  This distress may cause patients to avoid visiting a dentist and seeking treatment required to improve not only their oral health but general health as well.

At Crescent Dental we are passionate about providing the best possible care to our patients in a calm comfortable way so that they can be their best. For this reason we offer conscious sedation and general anaesthetic dentistry to our patients. You can decide between either going completely to sleep through you’re a dental procedure at the hospital or have the procedure done with relative analgesia and Happy gas.

Patients wishing to have their procedures done, while completely asleep (through general anaesthetic) are done at the private hospital. You would need to have an initial consultation at our clinic, in which we will assess you medical and dental histories, do a complete dental examination and take any x-rays if required.   After that we can make arrangements at the private hospital where Dr. Babi would provide treatment while you are asleep.  Dr. Babi is one of the few dentists in Dubbo accredited to work at the private hospital.

Most patients are admitted to the hospital as day only patients and unsually discharged with in a few hours of the procedure.

With general anaesthetic patients area a lot mote comfortable as there is no discomfort associated with complex procedures. You can sleep through the entire dental procedure with out encountering the sight, smell and sounds associated with a dental visit thus easing fear and anxiety. The other advantage is that we can complete multiple dental treatments in one session thus preventing several visits.

General Anaesthetic is very safe for adults and children alike. In fact it is preferred means of treatment for children as they will not undergo the distress of a dental visit and will not create a negative image about dentistry in their mind for future.

An estimate for dental treatment with general anaesthetic can be provided at the time of you initial consultation. Patients with Private Health Insurance are advised to consult should consult their insurance company regarding any rebates/assistance for treatment provided under general anaesthetic in the hospital setting.

There are certain procedures and treatments of the Oral cavity that require surgicalintervention. Most of the time these procedures are under taken with Local anaesthesiabut in some cases general anaesthesia or sedation may be required.

Surgery doesn’t need to be stressful. At Crescent Dental we offer a relaxed and professional environment to compete surgical procedures efficiently and successfully.

What Surgical Procedures Do We Perform?

Surgery for Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth can be a great source of pain when they become infected. They can affect the adjacent teeth or the overlying gums or even your cheek tissue. These problems occur due to our last molars not erupting fully or not being properly aligned. We can fix your issue by removing the problem wisdom teeth. There are options of performing the surgery under local or general anaesthesia so you are as comfortable as possible.

Tooth Extractions

If a tooth is badly broken down, infected or a previous root canal does not work it may need to be extracted to minimize the damage to the remaining teeth and bone. A tooth extraction can be performed quickly and successfully in the chair and you should be able to recover in a day or two.

Dental Implants

If a tooth is missing from an accident, extraction or from decay it needs to be replaced. It can cause many issues ranging from food trap, plaque build-up to drifting of teeth and premature aging of your face.  The most closest option of replacing a missing tooth to a natural tooth is implants. This procedure is done under local aesthetic in the chair however option of sedation is always available.

What to Expect at An Oral Surgeon Initial Examination?

Before any type of a surgical procedure, you will have to be examined. During the examination we will assess your Medical history and dental records, Clinically examine the problem, takex-rays and discuss options and possiblerisk factors. This also helps us to understand your concerns and device a treatment plans that will best suit your needs.

What Can You Do to Prepare for Surgery?

Sometime a procedure may need to be done under general anaesthetic. There are a few things that you should do to prepare for a Hospital visit.

The hospital admissions form needs to be filled and returned to the hospital directly. They will contact you and advised about your time of appointment and any other precautions. Avoid food, drink and smoking before surgery – If your surgery involves general anaesthesia you will need to avoid all food and drink for eight hours before the operation. You can have a light meal a few hours before if local anaesthesia is used. All smoking and tobacco should be avoided 12 hours before surgery and 48 hours after.

Have soft food available after surgery – After surgery you should have food available that is easy to chew and swallowe.g custard, mashed potatoes, liquids and smoothies. Chewy and spicy foods are avoided in case of irritation to the treated area.

Wisdom teeth can sometimes become a problem and can cause a lot of pain. They can get decayed and infected themselves or can cause decay or infection in the adjacent teeth and surrounding gums and cheek or move the remaining teeth and cause crowding. Having your wisdom teeth removed is a very common procedure.

Wisdom teeth which area also called third molars generally start erupting between the age of 15-25. A lot of the times they align properly with the rest of the teeth without any problem, but when there is limited space they will become impacted or cause movement in other teeth and will need to be removed.

Advantages

Timely removal of wisdom teeth can help prevent from future problems developing which may include damage and decay in existing teeth, movement of teeth as well as infections in gums and jawbone. Impacted wisdom teeth can repeatedly become infected, especially if they are partially erupted, as they are more prone to trapping bacteria. Treating these infections with antibiotics is not an effective and long-term solution and therefore their removal becomes more advantageous

Disadvantages

The procedure to remove badly impacted or infected wisdom teeth is not without risk, and most people will experience some mild discomfort for a few days after treatment. It can be harder to remove wisdom teeth in older patients, bone becomes denser and teeth can tend to fuse to the bone as we age. Any type of tooth extraction carries a small risk of dry socket.

Not all dentists can remove wisdom teeth. However, at Crescent Dental we have a variety of techniques (including Conscious sedation and general anaesthesia) to make wisdom teeth removal a more comfortable process that can be completed easily in one visit.

If you feel pain in your wisdom teeth or surrounding gums do come in and see us. Not all impacted wisdom teeth will cause pain alerting you there is a problem, therefore it is important to schedule regular check up with our dental team.

If a Root Canal Treatment fails to resolve the inflammation or infection in your tooth, we may recommend a procedure called an apicoectomy. This treatment involves the removal of the tip of your infected tooth root, followed by filling and sealing the root to prevent further infection. With an apicoectomy we aim to preserve the function of your tooth and save it from needing to be extracted.

Advantages

An apicoectomy can help save a re-infected tooth from extraction, as it is always best to try to maintain your natural teeth for as long as possible. It is usually cheaper to have an apicoectomy than to be faced with replacing a lost tooth, and the incision in your gum is tiny as only the very tip of the root needs to be accessed.

Disadvantages

You may experience slight swelling and some discomfort after the procedure, and there is a small possibility treatment will not be successful. The infected tooth could be close to major nerves or sinuses, depending on its location, and there is a small risk of damage to these structures. This is why at Crescent Dental we use CT scans to plan surgery, as this minimises these risks.

 

What To Expect

We begin the procedure by taking X ray records which allow us to plan the apicoectomy in great detail. The procedure is performed under local anaesthesia. A small incision is made in the gum near the root tip and the gum is lifted away. A tiny fraction of your jawbone may be removed to gain access to the infected root tip. The edge of the root tip and any other infected tissues are removed, and the tooth is then sealed with a filling material before the gum is stitched back.

After a week to 10days, we would ask you to return for a follow up appointment in which we will assess the healing as well as remove the stitches (if dissolvable ones weren’t used during surgery). Complete healing of the gums take up to 3-4weeks. If you experience any pain or swelling around the area, please contact us immediately to allow us to determine the cause.

Dental implants are a revolutionary method used to replace one or several missing teeth. A dental implant is as close as we can get to a natural tooth with the current technology. It not only replaces the crown (top portion) of the tooth but also the root of the tooth like our natural teeth.

A dental implant is made up of three parts. First, is the screw that is placed into the jawbone. This is like an artificial root to the tooth however it is made of titanium (similar to a hip or a knee joint replacement), which integrates to your existing bone.  and acts like a firm structural foundation on top of which a crown, bridge or even a denture could be securely attached. The second part is connector called Abutment, which act like a small post, made of precious metals or ceramics like Zirconia. The last part is a crown or bridge that connects with the abutment. These materials are generally well tolerated by the human body. Also, titanium has been shown to bond well with the human bone. Dental implants look and feel natural. An implant acts just like a normal tooth which makes these a brilliant treatment option for replacing your teeth.

As there is minor surgery involved meticulous planning is required for the dentist to place the implant in a pre-determined position which is evaluated from initial examination of the gap space, dental Xrays (intraoral as well as CT scan of the Jaw) and computer assisted 3D planning software. The procedure itself could be completed under local anesthetic. Most patients report that they experienced less pain than having a tooth removed and are able to return to work and back to normal life the following day. However, as we believe that your experience with us should be as pleasant and pain-free and comfortable as possible, we do offer Happy gas, Penthrox sedation as well as Pre-medication for anxious patients.

Once the initial surgery is complete the Implant could be left to heal and allow bone to grow around it and stabilize it for some time. In the next stage the crown is attached to the implant. The end result is a natural appearing and unrecognizable replacement of the missing tooth.

Advantages

Implants are as close as you can get to have a natural tooth. They are a permanently fixed restoration, which is strong, durable and pretty much undistinguishable from your remaining teeth. They provide a better tactile sensation and chewing ability as well as reduce the risk of jaw joint problems. One of the major advantages of implants is that it provides a all these benefits without having the need to cut the adjacent vital teeth. Also as it is fixed to the bone, you don’t have to worry about it coming out while chewing or laughing.

Disadvantages

Although implants are the there are a few disadvantages compared to more traditional options of restoring teeth. They involve a minor surgical procedure and as it is housed in bone. Some people with associated medical condition could be at a higher risk of failure. As it’s a surgical procedure more time (up to 3-4months after initial surgery in a 2-stage procedure) is required for the healing process before a permanent restoration is attached on top, which eventually delays the treatment. However we usually do restore the implants with a temporary restoration even in the healing period. Another factor is the price of the treatment. Implants are initially more costly than dentures or crowns/bridges. However these drawbacks are offset by the ease of use in chewing and talking, stability and the long-term service that it could provide (in many cases life-long)

If you suffer from severe gum disease and periodontitis you may require gum surgery to correct the problem. Gums can also recede due to a number of reasons. It could occur due to untreated gum disease (as discussed), improper tooth brushing technique, or even due to removal of neighbouring teeth all of which will cause the gum line to recede. As a result the tooth root is visible and the teeth appear longer. The root also has open dentinal tubules (nerve endings) which if exposed will cause hypersensitivity and also makes the tooth vulnerable to infection. Also during Implant therapy sometimes there is sufficient bone but there may not be enough gum and soft tissue. A Soft tissue graft will correct all these problems as well as prevent any further recession.

What is Gum Surgery?

This procedure is preformed under local anaesthetic. There are different types of gum surgery procedures which Gingivectomy, Gingvoplasty and Gingival flap surgery. The most common surgery preformed is Gingival flap surgery.

Gingival Flap Surgery

For patients suffering from moderate to severe periodontitis this procedure could be used to resolve the problem. It involves the gum tissue being lifted away from the roots to access the roots for a deep clean which is usually perform with ultrasonic device as well as hand instruments. Once all the plaque and calculus is removed any excess gum tissue is removed (so that the area is easily cleansable) and the remaining gum tissue is put back and stitched.

Gingivectomy

Gums can overgrow due to persistent irritation from plaque and calculus. This can affects the way a smile looks as well as oral hygiene. Gingivectomy could be performed for such patients with excessive gum tissue in which this excessive tissue is removed. The area to be removed will be numbed and with local anaesthetic and then the gum tissues will be cut and removed. After the removal a healing pack is put on the site for quick and uneventful healing.

Gingivoplasty

A gingivoplasty is a cosmetic procedure that is to reshape gums. This procedure is performed on healthy gums. People who have a gummy smile of short teeth can benefit from removing a small part of the gum tissue to have longer more aesthetic looking teeth. It can also help patients who have receeding gums. For this treatment a gum graft will be taken from another part of the mouth and stitched on either side of a tooth where recession has occurred.

What To Expect

While treatment may be different for each individual patient, we do have an example of what to expect during gum surgery. This surgery is commonly used to treat gum disease so our main priority would be to get the gum disease under control by non-invasive methods initially. If this does not work we can consider a surgical approach. To start with you will be asked about any medication or health conditions. After this the surgical site would be numbed with a local anaesthetic. We will clean your teeth as best as possible before the surgery. During the surgery itself the gums are folded back which creates a flap to access the roots which are then thoroughly cleaned from any bacteria under the gum-line. Then the infected gum tissue will be removed as well. If deemed necessary a gum regrowth gel could be applied on the root surface.  When everything has been cleaned and stabilized the gums are stitched back where they should be.

After Surgery

To ensure your gums are healing properly or to remove any stiches (if dissolvable ones weren’t used during surgery) at follow up appointment will be made. You may have a healing pack put on the site to prevenet any damage to the stitched or the healing gums. The follow up appointment will occur around 7-10 days after surgery.  There will be some discomfort after surgery but over the counter pain medication will be all that is needed. These will manage any pain. If swelling occurs after surgery you can use an ice pack. If you feel concerned about anything or experience prolonged bleeding or have severe swelling then contact our helpful team straightaway on (02) 58060848.

Would you like a professional opinion?

If you already have had a silver filling that has been done in the past to fill a cavity that does not mean that you are stuck with it and cant replace it. These silver fillings can be replaced with a white, more natural looking fillings to have all the advantages of appearance as well as being adhesive. However in some instances, dental composite may not be appropriate restorative for fillings placed in back teeth.If you would like to discuss options of having your fillings replaced please contact our team at Crescent Dental on today on (02) 58060848.