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Patients have a variety of options in dental providers, and it can be tricky to know which type of dental professional is best for your current needs. Understanding the differences between general dentists and oral surgeons, like Dr. Matthew Hilmi, can help you make an informed choice for dental care.

Education

Both general dentists and oral surgeons must complete dental school after receiving a bachelor’s degree. In dental school, which typically takes four years of full-time study, students take coursework in anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, pathology, and oral surgery. Dental students also complete clinical practicum experiences, gaining hands-on training in how to diagnose and treat dental problems.

After completing dental school and earning the Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree, a general dentist must complete a licensure exam to practice in a particular area. In contrast, oral surgeons (often called oral and maxillofacial surgeons) complete a four to six year surgical residency. The residency program must be accepted by the Commission on Dental Accreditation, ensuring that each resident receives the training in oral pathology, anesthesia, oral surgery, and other areas needed to competently practice. Following the surgical residency, a person completes a board certification examination.

Scope of Clinical Practice

General dentists serve as primary care providers for dental medicine. At the general dentist’s office, you will receive teeth cleaning, X-rays, and a comprehensive screening for dental problems. General dentists most often provide gum care, dental fillings, root canals, veneers, bridges, and crowns. They also make recommendations for how to prevent common dental problems. Although a general dentist may perform simple tooth extractions, more complex surgeries may be outside of the scope of a general dentist’s competence.

Oral and maxillofacial surgeons receive specialized training to treat a variety of conditions affecting the face, mouth, and jaw. Patients are typically referred to an oral surgeon when a problem is beyond the scope of a general dentist’s expertise. Oral surgeons perform simple and complex tooth extractions, including wisdom tooth extraction. They also provide care to accident victims who need reconstructive dental surgery. Oral surgeons may also perform soft tissue biopsies, tumor removal, jaw realignment surgery, soft tissue repair, or positioning of implants.

It can be difficult to determine what dental professional best fits your needs. Contact our Kingston office to determine if an oral surgeon can best meet your needs.

You might suspect that your wisdom teeth are starting to emerge, but knowing the signs of impacted wisdom teeth can help you be more proactive about your dental care. Impacted wisdom teeth can be extremely painful and can make your life truly miserable until they are removed. Therefore, looking for the early warning signs listed below, and seeing Dr. Matthew Hilmi if you experience them, can help you conquer the problem before it conquers you.

There are three primary signs of impacted wisdom teeth. While every person may not have all three of these signs, you can usually expect to experience at least one of these if your wisdom teeth are impacted.

Unusual Pain

If you are feeling a type of teeth pain you've never felt before, especially when it is focused in the back area of your jaw, this may be a sign that you have a tooth impaction. You may be fortunate enough to catch it early, before all of your wisdom teeth become impacted, if you see Dr. Matthew Hilmi as soon as you feel the pain.

Swollen Jaw

If your jaw is suddenly swollen and the area feels tender to the touch, you have a high chance of having an impacted tooth. Since the wisdom teeth are set so far back in your jaw, the swelling tends to show itself low in the jaw, towards the ears, when they are impacted.

Bleeding Gums

If your gums are bleeding, something you may notice when you see a pink or red tinged toothbrush, you may be dealing with a wisdom tooth issue. When the wisdom teeth are impacted, they put a lot of pressure on your back teeth and gums, which often leads to bleeding.

Visit our Kingston office as soon as possible if you have any of the above signs of impacted wisdom teeth. The sooner you get treatment, the sooner the pain will be behind you for good!

At Mid-Hudson Oral and Maxillofacial Practice, we have been creating beautiful smiles for years. Whether you have visited Dr. Matthew Hilmi and our team for a week or for your entire life, we would love to hear your thoughts about your experience! In fact, we encourage you to leave a few words for us below or on our Facebook page!

We look forward to reading your feedback!

A dry socket, known as alveolar osteitis, is a fairly common complication of tooth extraction and is characterized by severe pain. Usually, after a tooth is removed, a blood clot forms in the socket, or the area where the tooth was. As that space heals, gum tissue gradually replaces the blood clot. In the case of a dry socket, the tissue does not fill in the open space, leaving the bone exposed to air and food. The exposed bone of a dry socket is very sensitive and can lead to an intense dull aching pain that throbs. It is one of the most painful dental problems our patients can experience.

A dry socket will occur in only one to three percent of all tooth extraction cases, but it becomes much more common in the extraction of lower, or what we call mandibular, wisdom teeth.

Those who undergo tooth extraction can experience dry socket. Besides visible bone and nerves, signs and symptoms of dry socket may include:

• Severe pain within a few days after a tooth extraction
• Partial or total loss of the blood clot at the tooth extraction site, which you may notice as an empty-looking (dry) socket
• Pain that radiates from the socket to your ear, eye, temple, or neck on the same side of your face as the extraction
• Bad breath coming from your mouth or an unpleasant taste in your mouth
• Swollen lymph nodes around the neck or jaw

It is important to note that a certain degree of pain and discomfort is to be expected after tooth extraction. It’s also important to note that over-the-counter medications alone do not adequately treat dry socket pain. Therefore, it is critical to give us a call at our Kingston office to schedule an appointment with Dr. Matthew Hilmi if your pain does not subside.

If you have any questions about dry sockets or general questions about your ongoing treatment at Mid-Hudson Oral and Maxillofacial Practice, please do not hesitate to give us a call.