Oral Surgery

Rest Assured You’re in Great Hands

Your Dentist in Heath, Forney, Rockwall & surrounding areas

At KB Dental, we take great pride in the level of clinical expertise and the advanced dental solutions we provide for our family of patients. Nobody wants to go see their dentist, only to be referred out to a specialist who doesn’t know you or your history. That’s why Dr. Bartz has undergone extensive advanced training to be able to provide oral surgery procedures from the comfort of your dental home. We know oral surgery is no fun, but it is necessary sometimes, and you’ll want the most skilled and caring team on your side.

Endodontic Surgery
Endodontics refers to the dental specialty concerned with the insides of the teeth—the pulp, roots, and nerves. Often, teeth can become infected and require a root canal treatment, which is typically a fairly routine and painless procedure.

However, if your infection is severe and spreading, or you already had a root canal treatment that failed, you may need to consider endodontic surgery. Endodontic surgery can help remove the infection and save your teeth.

We know oral surgery can be nerveracking, but we want you to know you’re in great hands with our team and Dr. Bartz at KB Dental. If you need a little encouragement to help you relax prior to your surgery, we are happy to offer sedation options, so you can get the care you need comfortably.
Gum & Bone Grafting
Gum disease can wreak havoc on your oral health structures (and your entire body), causing deterioration of the gums and jawbone. The jawbone also deteriorates when teeth go missing, without the support of the tooth roots.

So, what can we do about it? Grafting! We know it doesn’t sound like much fun, but grafting is a great way to supplement soft and hard tissues that have been lost for improved oral health.

Gum grafting is used to supplement lost gum tissue to protect exposed tooth roots and save the teeth from extraction. Bone grafting is used to supplement the jawbone after atrophy, which can help maintain the facial structure, alignment, and bite, and provide a solid base to host a dental implant for patients who would otherwise not be candidates.
Crown Lengthening
When you break a tooth or it’s badly decayed and there’s not much of it left to support a dental crown, we can use crown lengthening to expose more of the tooth and provide a base for a new restoration. This is a great way to maintain your healthy tooth structure and avoid extraction.

Your natural tooth root is always the best option when it’s healthy enough, so crown lengthening can ensure you keep your natural tooth root and the tooth is restored back to full health, function, and aesthetics. Crown lengthening can also be used as a cosmetic solution for gummy smiles!

We want you to be completely comfortable during any dental procedure, that’s why we offer relaxing sedation options so you can sit back and smile knowing you made the right decision for your oral health and well-being.
Full Mouth Reconstruction
If your smile has been devastated by disease, decay, neglect, or a traumatic injury, we want you to know there’s still hope for you. You should never have to give up on the dream of a healthy, beautiful smile. If you thought yours was past the point of no return, we would love to help you rebuild your smile, your confidence, and your quality of life from the ground up.

Each smile is unique, so each full mouth reconstruction case is a little different depending on your individual needs. The process begins with a comprehensive consultation with Dr. Bartz where you will discuss things including what brought you to this point, any fears or concerns, as well as your goals, budget, and ideal timeline. Then, together, we will come up with a customized treatment plan to get your smile back on track.

Full mouth reconstruction usually involves some type of oral surgery, whether it’s extractions, bone grafting, or dental implants. Then, depending on your case, we will use the most advanced restorative techniques to give you back the healthy, functional, beautiful smile you once had—or the one you’ve always deserved!
Extractions
Any good dentist will take all the necessary measures to avoid the need for a tooth extraction. However, there are many cases in which an extraction may be in your best interest, and you’ll want to have a great team to ensure your comfort and quickest recovery.

Maybe you have a tooth that is badly broken or decayed and is past the point of salvaging with a crown. Maybe you had a root canal and it was unsuccessful. Maybe gum disease has devastated your mouth and left your gums unable to support the teeth. Whatever the reason, we want you to know you’re in great hands with Dr. Bartz and our team.
Wisdom Teeth Extraction
Most general dentists don’t perform wisdom teeth extractions, but Dr. Bartz has the advanced training and technology to provide wisdom teeth extractions from the comfort of your dental home.

Whether you or your teen is having issues with your wisdom teeth, we want you to know—you’ll be better off without them!

If you or your teen is experiencing pain in the back of the jaw or problems with wisdom teeth coming in, you should come see us as soon as possible so we can get you out of pain and prevent these teeth from causing even more problems.
Where does the tissue come from with gum grafting?

Well that depends on your preferences. With gum grafting, we usually take a small sample of tissue from the roof of the mouth. With bone grafting, we usually sample tissue from either a bovine or a human donor.

What can Crown Lengthening help with?
  • Expose more of the tooth
  • Provide a more secure base for a new crown
  • Maintain healthy tooth structure
  • Avoid an extraction
Full Mouth Reconstruction sounds like a lot of work, money, stress...

We completely understand the thought of a full mouth restoration can seem daunting. That’s why we are happy to offer relaxing sedation options so you can a lot of work done in a single visit. We also offer flexible financing options if you don’t have insurance or need additional help affording the treatment you need. A new, healthy, beautiful smile will transform your life, so trust us when we say it’s all worth your smiling face in the end.

Post-op Instructions for Extractions
  • DO NOT DISTURB THE AREA: For the next few days, and especially the first 24 hours, it is very important to allow your body to form a good clot and start the natural healing process. Swishing, sucking through a straw, and smoking can all dislodge the clot. Keep anything sharp from entering the wound (crunchy food, toothpicks, eating utensils). Be sure to chew on the opposite side for 24 hours.
  • BLEEDING: When you leave the office, you might be biting on a gauze pad to control bleeding. Keep slight pressure on this gauze for at least 30 minutes. Don’t change it during this time; it needs to remain undisturbed while a clot forms in the extraction socket. After 30 minutes you may remove it. You may bite on another gauze or a tea bag for another 30 minutes if you feel it is still bleeding. Small amounts of blood in the saliva can make your saliva appear quite red. This is normal and may be noticed the rest of the day after the procedure.
  • SMOKING: Smoking should be stopped following surgery. Healing and success of the surgery will be substantially reduced by the cigarette smoke chemicals in your body. Also the suction created when inhaling cigarettes can dislodge the clot. Smokers are at greater risk of developing a painful Dry Socket.
  • PAIN: Some discomfort is normal after surgery. To minimize pain, Take two Tylenol, Nuprin, Advil, or similar non-aspirin pain reliever every 3 to 4 hours until bedtime to maintain comfort. Take it before the anesthesia wears off. If prescription pain medication is prescribed, take it as instructed on the label. Don’t exceed the dose on the label. Taking with food or milk will help reduce upset stomach. Avoid driving or operating heavy machinery when taking pain prescriptions. Do not drink alcohol while taking prescription pain medications.
  • NAUSEA: This is most often caused by taking pain medications on an empty stomach. Reduce nausea by preceding each pain pill with soft food, and taking the pill with a large glass of water.
  • SWELLING: Applying an ice bag to the face over the operated area will minimize swelling. Apply for 15 minutes, then remove for 15 minutes. Continue this for the first day.
  • NUMBNESS: The local anesthetic will cause you to be numb for several hours after you leave the office. Be very careful not to bite, chew, pinch, or scratch the numb area. Sometimes the extraction causes residual numbness or tingling for six weeks or longer.
  • BRUSHING: Do not brush your teeth for the first 8 hours after surgery. After this, you may brush your teeth gently, but avoid the area of surgery for 3 days.
  • RINSING: Avoid all rinsing or swishing for 24 hours after extraction. Rinsing can disturb the formation of a healing blood clot which is essential to proper healing. This could cause bleeding and risk of dry socket. After 24 hours you may begin gentle rinsing with a saltwater solution (1/2 teaspoon salt + 1/2 teaspoon soda + 8 ounces warm water). Avoid commercial mouthrinses.
  • DIET: Eat soft foods for the first two days. Maintain a good, balanced diet. Return to normal regular meals as soon as you are able after the first two days. Drink plenty of water. Avoid alcohol for 48 hours.
  • ACTIVITY: After leaving the office, rest and avoid strenuous activities for the remainder of the day. Keeping blood pressure lower will reduce bleeding and aid healing.
  • ANTIBIOTICS: If you were given an antibiotic prescription, take all of them as directed until they are gone. Women: some antibiotics can reduce the effectiveness of birth control pills. Use alternate birth control methods for two months.
  • SINUS: If your sinus was involved in the procedure, you should avoid blowing your nose or playing a wind musical instrument for one week. Use of decongestant medications might be recommended.
  • FOLLOW-UP APPOINTMENTS: You may need to return to the office to have sutures removed, or just for a brief follow-up healing check.

Please call your dentist if you have:

  • uncontrollable pain
  • excessive or severe bleeding
  • marked fever
  • excessive warm swelling occurring a few days after the procedure
  • reactions to medications, especially rash, itching, or breathing problems

Following these instructions very closely will greatly help your comfort, and promote uneventful healing of the area. If any of the instructions are not followed, you might have significantly more discomfort, and the success of the procedure may be affected.

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