Minor Oral Surgery

Minor Oral Surgery

Minor oral surgery is a broad term referring to surgical procedures to the mouth, oral cavity and jaws that can be performed safely and comfortably under local anaesthesia and or sedation in our rooms.

These are procedures considered by your consulting surgeon suitable for local anaesthesia. Such procedures range from biopsy of lesions, removal of lumps or cysts, drainage of abscesses, removal of teeth, fractured roots and wisdom teeth, certain traumatic injuries and simple jaw fractures.

Biopsy
A biopsy is a sampling of abnormal tissue that is sent to a pathology laboratory for further analysis by a pathologist to confirm the diagnosis of a lesion. The pathologist is  someone who specialises in conditions of the mouth and jaws. They usually determine whether an abnormal tissue is benign (not cancerous) or cancerous (malignant) in nature.

Cyst
A cyst is a fluid filled enclosed sac. There are different types of cysts and may be related to salivary gland tissue, the teeth or jaws. Cysts can grow quietly without any signs or present themselves with a swelling or infection.

Cysts do not go away on their own accord and are best managed before they cause further deteriorating symptoms. Although cysts are considered benign (not cancerous) some can behave in a locally aggressive manner with the potential to recur if not treated correctly. Hence large jaw cysts usually require a biopsy first to determine the type of cyst before definitive treatment.

The goal of treatment is to remove the cyst so that new bone grows to fill the cystic space. Most cysts are treated either by enucleation (scraping out of the cyst sac or wall lining) or marsupialization (converting an enclosed cyst cavity into an open cavity by removing a portion of the cyst wall and adjoining the remaining cyst sac to the surrounding normal tissue providing continuity of the cyst cavity with the surrounding normal tissue).

Surgical management options are always discussed with you and undertaken only after an informed decision is reached between you and your consulting surgeon.