Oral Surgery in Park Ridge, IL
Procedures Requiring Oral Surgery
Advanced tooth decay and gum disease, also known as periodontitis, may cause a tooth to become abscessed, or infected. When this occurs, the tooth could die and the infection spread to surrounding teeth. In order to preserve your smile, oral surgery may be necessary. Root canal therapy allows your Park Ridge dentists to remove infected tissue. If the tooth can’t be saved with root canal therapy, then extraction may be necessary. The first phase of the dental implant procedure, called implantation, will also require the surgical insertion of implants into the socket of a missing tooth. Dr. Thanasi Loukas has extensive training and education in the surgical placement of dental implants in Park Ridge, IL, and both places and restores them in this office rather than referring the surgery out.If you are researching implants specifically rather than oral surgery in general, start with our dental implants in Park Ridge, IL page. It covers the full range, from a single implant crown through implant supported dentures and All-on-4 full arch treatment, along with timelines and costs.
Protect Your Smile
In some cases, patients may need to undergo oral surgery due to hereditary dental disorders. In most cases, however, simple preventive measures may help patients avoid the need for oral surgery. Routine checkups and cleanings allow your team at Loukas Dentistry of Park Ridge to watch for any signs of developing dental issues and provide appropriate treatment. Early detection helps prevent the need for costly and invasive procedures down the road. In addition, maintaining good dental habits, such as brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing once, also help prevent the decay and periodontitis that requires oral surgery, and potentially, tooth extraction.Oral Surgery Procedures We Perform in Park Ridge
Dr. Thanasi Loukas performs most surgical procedures in this office rather than sending patients across town to a separate specialist. That matters for continuity, because the person who removes the tooth is the same person who plans and places what replaces it.
- Surgical tooth extraction. A tooth that is broken at the gum line, heavily decayed or fused to the bone cannot simply be lifted out. It is sectioned and removed in pieces, which is gentler on the surrounding bone than forcing a single piece.
- Wisdom teeth removal. Impacted third molars that are pressing on the tooth in front, trapping food, or coming in at an angle that will never be cleanable. See wisdom teeth in Park Ridge, IL.
- Bone grafting and ridge preservation. Placing graft material into the socket at the time of removal so the ridge keeps its width and height. This is what makes a future implant possible without a second, larger procedure. See bone grafting.
- Surgical placement of dental implants. The fixture is placed into the healed or grafted site under local anaesthetic.
- Treatment of a dental abscess. Draining an active infection and deciding, with an x ray, whether the tooth can be saved with root canal therapy or has to come out.
- Soft tissue procedures. Removing a small lesion for examination, releasing a tight frenum, or reshaping gum tissue before a restoration.
Do You Need an Oral Surgeon, or a Dentist Who Operates?
Patients in Park Ridge often search for an oral surgeon when what they actually need is a dentist comfortable performing surgery. The two overlap a great deal. A board certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon handles jaw reconstruction, facial trauma, orthognathic surgery and general anaesthetic cases in a hospital setting. A general dentist with surgical training handles extractions, wisdom teeth, grafting and implant placement in the practice.
Dr. Loukas founded an oral surgery externship at the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital in Maywood, Illinois while at Tufts, training alongside oral surgeons and an endodontist. That is the background behind the surgical work done here. When a case genuinely belongs in a hospital, he will tell you so and refer it rather than attempt it.
Teeth Extraction in Park Ridge: What the Day Looks Like
- Imaging and planning. A digital x ray shows the root shape, how close the roots sit to the sinus or the nerve, and whether the bone around the tooth is sound.
- Anaesthetic. The area is numbed completely before anything begins. You should feel pressure and movement, never sharpness. If you do, say so and more is given.
- Removal. The tooth is loosened and lifted, or sectioned first if the roots are curved or fused.
- The socket. The site is cleaned of any infected tissue. If an implant or bridge is planned later, graft material goes in now while the socket is open.
- Closure and instructions. Stitches if needed, gauze, and written aftercare you take home rather than try to remember.
Recovery After a Surgical Extraction
The first twenty four hours do most of the work. Keep firm pressure on the gauze, do not rinse or spit, and do not use a straw or smoke, because suction is what dislodges the clot and causes a dry socket. Cold on the outside of the face in twenty minute spells keeps swelling down. Soft food and plenty of fluids.
From day two, warm salt water rinses several times a day. Swelling usually peaks around day two or three and then eases. Call us at (847) 696-1919 if pain increases rather than decreases after day three, if bleeding restarts and will not settle with pressure, or if you develop a fever. Those are the three things worth a phone call rather than waiting.
Sedation and Anxiety
Nobody looks forward to oral surgery. If anxiety is the reason a tooth has been left this long, say so when you book and we will plan around it rather than surprise you on the day. See sedation dentistry in Park Ridge, IL.
Cost and Insurance
A simple extraction and a surgical extraction are billed differently, and wisdom teeth are usually quoted per tooth with the level of impaction taken into account. Most dental plans cover extractions as a basic or major service. Bone grafting is sometimes covered and sometimes not, depending on the plan and the reason. We give you the code and the estimate before you agree to anything. See insurance we accept and dental payment plans.
Replacing the Tooth After It Comes Out
Looking for dental implants in Park Ridge? This page covers the surgical side. Our main dental implants in Park Ridge, IL page covers single implants, All on 4, implant dentures, cost, and what to expect, all completed in our own office.
This page is about the surgery itself. What goes back in the space is a separate decision and it has its own pages. Start with dental implants in Park Ridge, IL for the full range, or go straight to a single implant crown, a dental bridge, a partial denture or implant supported dentures. If a crown is what you are researching rather than surgery, see dental crowns in Park Ridge, IL.
Oral Surgery in Park Ridge, IL: Patient Questions
Loukas Dentistry provides oral surgery in Park Ridge for patients who need careful diagnosis, tooth removal, bone-related procedures, or implant-related surgical planning.
What oral surgery services are available at Loukas Dentistry?
Services may include tooth extractions, surgical extractions, bone grafting discussions, implant-related surgery, and treatment planning for teeth that cannot be predictably restored.
When does a tooth need to be extracted?
A tooth may need extraction when it is severely fractured, deeply infected, affected by advanced periodontal disease, impacted, or not restorable. The dentist will first evaluate whether saving the tooth is possible.
Can oral surgery be part of a dental implant plan?
Yes. Oral surgery and dental implant treatment are often planned together when a missing or failing tooth needs a stable long-term replacement.
How long does it take to recover from a tooth extraction?
Most people are comfortable enough to return to normal routine the next day, with swelling peaking around day two or three and then easing. The gum surface closes over in about two weeks. The bone underneath continues filling in for several months, which is why implant timing is planned rather than rushed.
What is a dry socket and how do I avoid it?
A dry socket is what happens when the blood clot protecting the bone is dislodged before the site has healed. It is painful and it usually shows up around day three. The three things that cause it are suction, smoking and vigorous rinsing in the first twenty four hours. Avoid all three and the risk drops sharply.
Can I be sedated for oral surgery in Park Ridge?
Yes. Tell us when you book rather than on the day, so the visit is planned around it. Many patients who have put a tooth off for years do so because of anxiety, not cost, and that is worth saying out loud.
How soon after an extraction can a dental implant be placed?
Sometimes the same day, and sometimes after three to four months of healing. It depends on how much bone surrounds the socket and whether there was active infection. Placing graft material at the time of removal often shortens that wait and keeps the ridge the right shape.
Dr. Thanasi Loukas brings focused surgical experience to Loukas Dentistry. As a student at Tufts, he founded an oral surgery externship at the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital in Maywood, Illinois, training alongside oral surgeons and an endodontist while treating veterans. That background lets him perform many surgical procedures here in Park Ridge rather than referring them out.
