Oral Surgery in Park Ridge, IL
Did you know that tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body? Despite the strength of teeth and gums, serious dental problems such as tooth decay, misalignment, and gum disease can threaten your smile. Soon, patients may develop infection or other dental complications. Oral surgery may be necessary to return your smile to full function and appearance. At Loukas Dentistry of Park Ridge, your Park Ridge dentists, Dr. Thanasi Loukas and Dr. Maria Loukas, provide safe and comfortable oral surgery.
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.
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 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.
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.
