Oral Surgeon

If a wisdom tooth, also known as a third molar, doesn't have room to grow, it can become impacted. If an impacted wisdom tooth causes pain, infection or other dental problems, you'll likely need to have a dentist or an oral surgeon remove it. Some dentists and oral surgeons recommend removing your wisdom teeth, even if they aren't causing problems. That's because these teeth can lead to problems later in life.

The entire oral cavity is lined with a special type of skin called mucosa. Healthy mucosa is smooth, soft, and pink in color. Any alteration in this appearance could be a warning sign for the presence of a pathological process. Pathological changes are called “lesions” and can have a wide spectrum of causes, the most serious of which is oral cancer. The majority of oral lesions are not serious, buy any changes should be examined by your oral surgeon. 

At your consultation appointment, your oral surgeon will perform a thorough head and neck examination to look for any abnormalities and carefully assess the area in question. Based on the clinical findings, your surgeon may recommend a biopsy. A biopsy is a procedure to remove a piece of tissue so that it can be analyzed under a microscope by an oral pathologist in a laboratory. After the pathologist examines the lesion, a definitive diagnosis is made.   

A frenum is a naturally occurring muscle attachment, normally seen between the front teeth (either upper or lower).

It connects the inner aspect of the lip with the gum. A lack of attached gingiva, in conjunction with a high (closer to the biting surface) frenum attachment, which exaggerates the pull on the gum margin, can result in recession.

Additionally, an excessively large frenum can prevent the teeth from coming together resulting in a gap between the front teeth. If pulling is seen or the frenum is too large to allow the teeth to come together, the frenum is surgically released from the gum with a Frenectomy.