So what is maxillofacial surgery? If you’ve searched it on Google you’re obviously curious as to what it entails. That’s where this short article can help.

Maxillofacial surgery is dentistry taken to the next level. Specialising with problems around the jaw, mouth and neck instead of the actual teeth, maxillofacial surgery is what happens when your regular dentist has done all they can.

A maxillofacial surgeon will be trained above and beyond a regular dentist. They attend regular dental school, but then in addition will be placed in a Residency situation, acquiring up to 5 more years of training before officially allowed to practice on clients.

Maxillofacial surgery tends to be a last resort for people. Usually when a problem becomes too complex for a regular dentist, then surgery is required. If a patient has been the victim of an assault or involved in an accident, then maxillofacial surgery maybe need to treat severe injuries. That’s when the patient is referred to a maxillofacial surgeon.

Procedures such as the removal of impacted wisdom teeth, corrective jaw surgery or a serious root canal, are all resolved with maxillofacial surgery. Limiting nerve damage also plays a huge part in the surgeons overall objective, and the quicker a patient is treated, the more likely a full recovery will be made.

The removal of growths and cysts is also a speciality of maxillofacial surgery. A biopsy may be taken and then a tissue sample sent to a pathologist. If the patient is unfortunate enough to be diagnosed with a tumour, then the maxillofacial surgeon will work closely with an oncologist, and hopefully remove the growth with minimum repercussions.

Maxillofacial surgery can be life-changing for people who have suffered their entire life with disfigurement or birth deformities. Cleft palates, or harelips, can be fixed through maxillofacial surgery, and the impact can be enormous. Facial abnormalities, more so than other parts of the body, can be socially awkward or embarrassing. Corrective surgery with maxillofacial surgery can restore a patients confidence and bring a new lease of life to that person.