Oral Surgery, Understanding Expose and Bond

Expose and bond dental "oral" surgery is a procedure that helps buried teeth or impacted teeth that have not come through or completely come through the gum line. The oral surgical procedure helps to guide the impacted or buried teeth into proper alignment, this procedure can relieve severe oral pain and can keep the buried teeth from causing other medical problems such as life threatening abscesses. If the teeth are not surgically helped through the gum line they can be reabsorbed causing tumors or cysts, and in some cases disfigurement.

The surgical procedure exposes the buried or impacted tooth by cutting into the gums and then the bonding part of the procedure is an attachment of a bracket to help guide the freed tooth into the proper alignment position. The bracket can be applied or bonded to the tooth fairly easily and usually has a gold chain attached to it. This chain is then brought out of the gum and tied to adjacent orthodontic devices thereby guiding the tooth through the incision that has been made to expose the tooth. Depending on the nature of the oral problem, the patient can either be given a general anesthesia and allowed to sleep through the procedure. In some cases however a local anesthetic can be given, which allows the patient to remain awake through the procedure, this can also be done if the patient has other medical problems that restricts their ability to be put to sleep.

The patient will need to make return visits to the orthodontist or oral surgeon to have the chain tightened so that the tooth is guided into proper alignment. Tightening the chain applies the proper traction needed in which to guide the tooth into proper alignment. The majority of teeth take up to several months to completely come through in place, depending on how deep they are buried.

Before surgery

Patients will be instructed to not have anything by mouth for at least twelve hours prior to having surgery. If a patient has medications that they are required to take they should discuss this with their surgeon and the surgeon must be made aware of all medical conditions and medications that the patient is taking, especially if the patient is on any blood thinning medications.

The patient will be instructed to stop smoking at least a couple of days before the procedure. The patient will also be instructed that after the surgery it is imperative that they not smoke for at least a week after the procedure. The patient will also be made aware that continuing to smoke after surgery can cause severe infection problems, increase pain and prolong healing time.

After the procedure chewing can be very difficult because of discomfort. The patient will be instructed to eat foods that are soft and easy on the gums. Restricting salt and spicy foods can also help with pain and irritation problems.

After the procedure

Once the expose and bond oral procedure has been completed the gums will be extremely tender and the patient will normally given pain medications to combat any oral discomfort. Normally the healing process is fast however a lot depends on the patient and if they follow the surgeons instructions. In some cases stitches may have to be used, however the stitches that will be used dissolve on their own. The expose and bond oral procedure normally takes approximately four weeks to completely heal, oral discomfort however can last from one week to ten days. After the procedure the patient will be given instructions on what to watch for including if the pain or swelling starts to increase or the patient notices any foul odor. The patient will be told that if any problems should arise they are to seek medical attention immediately from their oral surgeon.

Sources:
www.aiofs.com/_surgical_instructions/expose_bond.html
www.oregonoralsurgeons.com/Other_Common.html
www.cforalsurgery.com/oral_surgery_central_florida/impacted_canines.html