Oral maxillofacial surgery is a dental surgery specialty that encompasses reconstructive surgeries of the face, oral cavity, head, neck, mouth, jaws, facial trauma surgeries, and facial aesthetic surgeries. Maxillofacial surgeons are extensively trained and equipped to perform different invasive procedures on patients’ natural and occurred conditions of the oral, maxilla, and facial region. They also treat oral, head, and neck cancers and correct congenital abnormalities in children.
What Happens During The Surgery
Depending on the condition being treated, procedures might be inpatient or outpatient, scheduled, emergency, or selective. OMS surgeons work alongside other professionals like orthopedic surgeons in e treatment of complex conditions like severe head trauma.
On the day of the operation, a patient checks in, complete the required medical and consent forms, and starts with the pre-operation preparations, which solely rely on the type of treatment and anesthesia. A pre-operative examination of the area to be operated on paves the decision for the anesthesia to be used. Local anesthesia, regional block, MAC, and general anesthesia through injections, IV lines, or nitrous oxide would require reviewing vital signs like temperature and BP. Once a patient has been prepped and sedated, the surgery may begin. The procedures might be open, with large incisions, endoscopic or keyhole, or minimally invasive involving a small incision.
The procedure may also be reconstructive for repairing and correcting abnormalities or aesthetic to achieve cosmetic purposes. The surgery could take any time from two hours, depending on the procedure in question. Patients are generally numb or passed out and cannot feel what is happening. After the surgery, the patient is taken to the recovery room, where they are monitored until the sedation or anesthesia wears off. Patients may be given pain medications to combat the pain post-operation and antibiotics to help prevent infection on the operated area.
