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It’s useful to know what your dentist does in comparison to an oral surgeon. You may end up needing to see the latter at some point in your life, so Dr. Theodotou and our team want you to understand the difference if you need to schedule an appointment with one of us.

Both dentists and oral surgeons are taught the skills to maintain a healthy mouth for their patients. They are both required to obtain a medical license after years of schooling, and some choose to go through additional to schooling to be able to treat specific areas of oral health.

Your general dentist is equipped to perform preventive care and treatment of teeth that show decay and damage. Cosmetic procedures such as teeth whitening and veneer placement are also common. However, in some circumstances, you may need an oral surgeon if the procedure you need to undergo exceeds your dentist’s abilities.

If you’ve been referred to Dr. Theodotou, it may be because you need the following procedure done:

• Dental implant surgery
• Removal of a problem tooth
• Oral cancer biopsies
• Removal of tumors or cysts
• Reconstructive surgery of the jaw or face to resolve various problems
• Corrective surgery of the jaw to improve structure and alignment
• Grafting of the bone or soft tissues in order to resolve defects and injuries
• Repair of birth defects that have affected the face or jaw

Staying vigilant about your daily oral health routine and bi-yearly dental appointments may prevent problems that require these services. However, it may be impossible to avoid some of these procedures.

If you have noticed a serious issue involving your oral health, contact our Pooler office and schedule a consultation. Our team will create a plan to treat you quickly and effectively.

While there is no definite evidence that if your prevent gum diseases, like periodontitis, that you may be able to prevent a heart condition or heart disease. The only thing experts, like Dr. Theodotou, know for sure is that if you take care of your gums it can lessen atherosclerosis, (build-up of artery clogging plaque) that may result in a heart attack or stroke.

Could periodontal disease cause heart attacks?

Regardless of your oral health, if you're at a high risk for heart disease, you need to take action.

• Maintain a healthy weight or lose weight.
• Consume healthy foods and beverages.
• Exercise several days the week. Walking is a powerful and lightweight exercise and will clear your head while helping your body get or stay healthy.
• Control any medical conditions you may have such as high cholesterol, diabetes, or high blood pressure.
• Reduce your stress. Have lunch with a friend, go for a walk in the park, take a bubble bath, mediate, or do whatever you find relaxing.
• Get a social life. Laughing reduces stress and “feel good” hormones. Everyone needs to feel like they are a part of something: join a book club or any activity where you can interact with other people at least once or twice a week
• Be sure to get enough sleep. The recommended amount is eight to nine hours a night. It has been proven that a lack of sleep increases your risk for angina, strokes, and heart attacks.
• Practice good oral hygiene to keep bacteria in check and your mouth healthy.

Contact our Pooler office if you have questions about your heart and oral health. If you take practice good oral hygiene, both your mouth and your heart will thank you.

If you have lost a tooth or teeth, dental implants can restore your smile. Implants look natural, don’t impact the healthy teeth around them, and protect the underlying bone from the bone loss that can be caused by a missing tooth.

One important prerequisite for a successful implant: the bone in the jaw that will hold the implant must be healthy, and must be the appropriate size and strength to allow osseointegration (the fusion of the implant with the jawbone) to take place. If the bone isn’t wide enough, high enough, or dense enough, the success of the implant will be in jeopardy.

An implant, unlike a denture or a bridge, is rooted in the jaw much like your tooth. A cylinder is implanted in the bone, and will later hold the abutment which attaches to the final crown. Because a great deal of pressure is placed on our teeth with everyday functions such as chewing, the bone must be strong enough to successfully fuse with the implant.

Fortunately, Dr. Theodotou can actually restore the density and shape of your jawbone if the bone isn’t suitable for an implant. This reconstruction is accomplished with bone grafting.

Why Would You Need a Bone Graft?

The bone structure which supports our teeth can be compromised in a number of ways. We might recommend a bone graft if you have insufficient bone due to causes such as:

• Bone Loss Caused by Tooth Loss

The bone tissue which supports our teeth needs the stimulation of biting and chewing to stay healthy. Without that stimulation, the bone area under the missing tooth gradually shrinks. The bone tissue is resorbed into the body, which, in a relatively short amount of time, can lead to a noticeable sunken spot where the tooth used to be. Bone grafting will rebuild this area—and a dental implant will provide the tissue stimulation that a natural tooth would, helping to prevent future bone loss in the jaw.

• Gum Disease

As gum disease progresses, the gums pull away from the teeth, leaving the bone and connective tissue exposed to infection and bacteria. Infection and the body’s own response to bacteria can cause deterioration in the bone structure supporting the teeth. Bone loss cannot be reversed, but a graft can replace lost bone and allow healthy tissue to regenerate.

• Pre-existing Bone Conditions or Traumatic Injuries

In the case of bone structure that is naturally less thick or dense, or bone which has been damaged by accident or injury, a bone graft can provide a solid basis for an implant.

What Takes Place in a Bone Grafting Procedure?

Bone grafting is a type of oral surgery. Bone tissue for grafting may be taken from your own body, or a graft material composed of safe and sterile donor tissue or synthetic substitutes can be used. This second kind of graft will be absorbed gradually by the body as your own new, healthy bone tissue replaces it.

If you decide a bone graft is your best option, we will discuss the options for grafting with you during your appointment at our Pooler office, and use imaging to map out the area of bone loss and to create the best individual treatment plan for you.

After anesthesia, an incision will be made in the gum tissue to reveal the damaged bone. Grafting material will be shaped and secured to the affected area, and sutures are generally used to close the incision. We will give you careful instructions for after care and follow-up visits. The time it takes for you to heal completely will depend on the type and size of the graft.

We recommend bone graft surgery when it will provide the best, most successful foundation for your dental implant procedure. Oral surgeons have years of medical and surgical training in the complex relationship and interaction of bone, muscle, and nerve. We are uniquely qualified to provide a skillful, safe, and effective bone grafting procedure.

When you choose an implant, one of your primary goals is the aesthetic restoration of your smile. Just as important, you are also making sure that the bones supporting your teeth will remain heathy and strong. Talk to us about bone grafting, and how we can start you on your way to a lifetime of beautiful smiles.

We do our best to plan for our health. We eat right, we exercise, we see our doctors and dentists for regular checkups. But despite our best efforts, we can’t plan for accidents. A bike rider’s encounter with a pothole can mean a broken jaw. A clumsy elbow knocks out a basketball player’s tooth. A car collision leaves the driver with fractured facial bones and lacerations.

These are all very different injuries, but they are all considered facial trauma. When you are the victim of an accident, it’s always important to get the best treatment as quickly as possible. That’s why, if you should ever find yourself in the emergency room with facial trauma, it’s a very good idea to ask for a consultation with an oral and maxillofacial surgeon like Dr. Theodotou.

Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are trained specifically in the treatment of facial traumas. They have a minimum of four years of surgical education in a hospital-based residency program. They train with medical residents, and focus on studies in general surgery, anesthesiology, internal medicine, plastic surgery, and otolaryngology (the study of the ear, nose, and throat), among other fields of specialty.

Because their training is centered on the face, mouth, and jaw, these surgeons are experts in diagnosing and treating the complex interrelationship of these structures. Let’s look at our unfortunate cyclist, for example.

A broken jaw involves bone, muscle, ligaments, and teeth. Bones need to fit back together properly; the joint that connects the jawbones needs to function smoothly; and not just the jaw, but the teeth need to be back in alignment. Because they know just how these structures must work together, oral surgeons are experts in restoring function after facial trauma.

But treating facial trauma involves more than restoring functionality. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are also concerned with restoring the patient’s appearance for both physical and psychological healing. Oral surgeons are extensively trained in techniques to reduce scarring and to maintain the balance and symmetry of facial features.

If you suffer facial trauma, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon has the specific knowledge and training to provide you with the very best treatment for your injuries. Oral surgeons are also, because of their wide-ranging experience, able to discover even difficult-to-detect injuries, putting you on the fastest track to recovery. Their medical expertise includes the treatment of:

• Injuries to the teeth and surrounding bone and tissue

An injury to the mouth can lead to a lost or displaced tooth and damage to the bones and tissues surrounding it.

If a tooth is knocked out, reimplantation can be successful if it takes place promptly—after 30 to 60 minutes, the odds of successful reimplantation go down. Oral surgeons are also trained to discover and treat any injuries or fractures to the alveolar bone which contains the tooth sockets.

• Bone injuries

An accident can cause broken or fractured bones anywhere on the face. Oral and maxillary surgeons work with bones in the upper and lower jaws, around the eyes and nose, and in the cheeks and forehead. Just like a broken arm, fractured facial bones must be put back in place and stabilized. Unlike a broken arm, injuries to the facial bones cannot be treated with a plaster or fiberglass cast.

Depending on the nature of the fracture, treatment can involve letting the bones “rest” to heal in place, or placing screws and plates or wiring to keep the bones in their proper positions while they heal. Your surgeon will know if your injuries should be treated surgically or non-surgically, and whether reconstructive surgery might be necessary.

• Soft tissue and special tissue injuries

Accidents can damage more than tooth and bone. When facial lacerations occur, an oral surgeon is skilled at making sure that any necessary suturing is done with an eye toward the best cosmetic outcome. Intra-oral lacerations might mean not only attention to delicate gum tissue, but treatment of the salivary glands and ducts. Facial trauma can also affect the nerves around the eyes, face, and mouth, which require expert diagnosis and treatment in case of injury.

You can’t plan for facial trauma, but you can make sure to involve Dr. Theodotou as possible. If you or a family member suffers a facial injury, don’t be reluctant to ask for a consultation at our Pooler office as part of your treatment.