Face & Jaw Surgery Center

Chances are you may not hear the term “sinus lift” until you talk to your dentist or an oral and maxillofacial surgeonabout having dental implants to replace missing teeth in your upper jaw. A sinus lift (or sinus lift bone graft or sinus augmentation) is a surgical procedure that is done to add bone to the upper jaw in order to create the proper foundation for accepting dental implants.

Sinus lifts have become more common during the last 15 years as more people choose dental implants to replace missing teeth.  Before sinus lifts and dental implants, the only option for people with missing teeth was bridges  or partial dentures.

The upper jaw presents different problems for dental implants than the lower jaw.

The maxillary sinuses are behind your cheeks and on top of the upper back teeth. The shape and the size of these sinuses vary from person to person. Sinuses are like empty rooms that have nothing in them. Some of the roots of the natural upper teeth extend up into the maxillary sinuses. When these upper teeth are removed, there is often just a thin wall of bone separating the maxillary sinus and the mouth. In other words, the floor, or membrane, of the sinus touches the roof of the upper jaw.

Adding Bone to the Jaw Bone

The bone used in a sinus lift may come from your own body (autogenous bone) or from other sources. During the sinus lift, your oral and maxillofacial surgeon will create a small, oval window in the jaw bone and gently push the sinus membrane up and away from your jaw. Granules of bone-graft material are then packed into the additional space. Then the incision is closed. Over the next few months, the bone graft meshes with and becomes part of your jaw bone. Four to nine months after sinus lift surgery, depending on the type of material used in the bone graft, your surgeon will place the implants for your new teeth.

Our patients who go through the sinus lift procedure for dental implants are glad they did it. They now have new teeth that look, feel and act like their regular teeth.

No-Obligation Consultation

Schedule a no-obligation consultation about sinus lift for dental implants with the surgeons at Face and Jaw Surgery Center at one of our four, convenient North Dakota locations. Our surgeons are specially trained in oral and maxillofacial surgery and have performed many sinus lift and dental implant surgeries. They can evaluate your needs and recommend the most effective treatment plan.

Face and Jaw Surgery Center serves all of North Dakota and North West Minnesota including Moorhead, MN and East Grand Forks, MN.

Bismarck, ND office

Fargo, ND office

Grand Forks, ND office

Minot, ND office

Nerve repositioning, or nerve lateralization, is reserved for the rarest cases involving dental implants in the lower jaw. This technique is performed when a patient has missing teeth in the lower jaw and does not have enough jaw bone above the jaw nerve (inferior alveolar nerve) to accommodate the implant. The lack of jaw bone is usually a result of deterioration of the bone due to aging or possibly from the absence of teeth in that area for an extended period of time. The inferior alveolar nerve is located in the lower jaw, and as the bone above it deteriorates, the nerve moves closer to the surface of the gum line. The nerve must then be repositioned to allow for more space to complete the dental implant.

In order to move the nerve aside, an outer section of the bone in the area of the lower jaw must be removed to expose the nerve bundle and vessel canal. The nerve is temporarily moved aside and the implants are placed. The nerve bundle is then released and placed back over the implant, and the surgical incision is filled with bone graft material and closed.

Nerve repositioning is extremely aggressive and can have negative side effects such as temporary or even permanent numbness in the lower lip and jaw. That’s why the experienced surgeons of Face and Jaw Surgery Center will always consider alternative solutions before going forward with the nerve repositioning procedure.

Alternatives to Nerve Repositioning

These are effective alternatives to nerve repositioning:

• Bone Grafting – This is a process in which the dentist uses bone grafts to build up a deteriorated or damaged jaw bone. A bone grafting procedure will build more height above the inferior alveolar nerve and can eliminate the need for nerve repositioning surgery. Bone grafts can come from the patient’s own body, from a cadaver or through the use of synthetic materials. Factors from the patient’s own blood can be used to accelerate and promote bone formation in graft areas.
• Multiple Splinted Short Implants — When appropriate, many shorter implants can be placed in the area of missing teeth. Those implants are splinted together to give them strength.Ridge Split or Sandwich — The jaw bone can be split horizontally or vertically to augment its width or height. All above mentioned procedures are performed under intravenous sedation or general anesthesia.
• Conventional Bridges and Dentures – If not a good implant candidate, a patient’s only viable option may be the use of conventional dentures or bridges.

No-Obligation Consultation

Schedule a no-obligation consultation about building up your jaw bone for dental implants with the experienced surgeons at Face and Jaw Surgery Center at one of our four, convenient North Dakota locations. Our surgeons are specially trained in oral and jaw surgery and have performed thousands of dental implants and jaw bone-building surgeries. They can evaluate your dental needs and recommend the most effective treatment plan.

Face and Jaw Surgery Center serves all of North Dakota and North West Minnesota including Moorhead, MN and East Grand Forks, MN.

Bismarck, ND office

Fargo, ND office

Grand Forks, ND office

Minot, ND office

Maxillofacial surgery focuses on problems concerning the mouth, jaw, face and neck. A dentist or orthodontist may refer a patient to a maxillofacial surgeon if an issue with the mouth is too difficult to correct with dental procedures alone. There are many reasons for maxillofacial surgery such as overbites, underbites, jaw asymmetry and other jaw deformities and diseases. Surgery can be performed to improve the health of the patient or as a cosmetic procedure to enhance the appearance or symmetry of the face.

Doctors who decide to pursue a career in maxillofacial surgery must be educated extensively in dentistry and dental surgery as well as maxillofacial surgery. Maxillofacial surgery can involve complex reconstruction of the face and jaw and involves important nerves which run through the face.  The surgeons at Face and Jaw Surgery Center in North Dakota offer several maxillofacial surgical procedures such as:

• Orthognathic surgery – This type of surgery corrects conditions of the jaw and face related to structure, growth, deformities and orthodontic problems. Overbites, underbites  and misaligned jaws are the most common reasons for orthognathic surgery.
• Distraction osteogenesis – This is a surgical technique in which new bone formation is stimulated by the gradual separation of bony segments after an osteotomy. An osteotomy is an operation that cuts the bone to shorten, lengthen or change its alignment. A greater degree of bone lengthening can be gained with distraction osteogenesis than by conventional surgery.
• Bone grafting – This procedure involves replacement or augmentation of the part of the jaw which provides anchoring support for the teeth. Bone grafting is performed when the jawbone becomes deteriorated or damaged due to medical conditions such as periodontal disease and tooth loss.
• Nerve repositioning – The inferior alveolar nerve, which gives feeling to the lower lip and chin, may need to be moved or repositioned in order to allow room for implants in the lower jaw. The need for nerve repositioning usually results from jawbone deterioration and the need for more height for dental implants.
• Cleft lip and cleft palate surgery –Cleft lip and cleft palate are deformities which consist of a split in the lip or mouth caused by incomplete development during fetal formation. Surgical treatment can restore healthy function and normal appearance to the lip and palate.
• Sinus lift –This surgery will add bone to the upper jaw in order to make more room between the sinus cavity and the upper jaw bone to allow for dental implants.

No-Obligation Consultation

Schedule a no-obligation consultation about maxillofacial surgery at Face and Jaw Surgery Center at one of our four, convenient North Dakota locations. Our surgeons are specially trained in oral and maxillofacial surgery and treatments and have performed thousands of corrective maxillofacial surgeries. They can evaluate your needs and recommend the most effective treatment plan.

Face and Jaw Surgery Center serves all of North Dakota and North West Minnesota including Moorhead, MN and East Grand Forks, MN.

Bismarck, ND office

Fargo, ND office

Grand Forks, ND office

Minot, ND office

Let’s face it– no one looks forward to going to the dentist, let alone having oral surgery. The patient tends to worry most about the pain and discomfort of the procedure. The good news is that today’s advancements in anesthesia make it possible to perform both simple and complex oral surgery with little or no discomfort for the patient. Whether you’re having your wisdom teeth extracted or having more complex jaw or face reconstruction surgeryperformed, anesthesia can reduce the stress of the procedure, as well as limit or completely block any pain you would normally feel.

Anesthesia, which literally means “without sensation or feeling,” is also the term used for the drugs that create different levels of reversible “loss of sensation” conditions. Anesthesia can relieve or block pain, reduce anxiety, or give you temporary amnesia to block your memory of the surgery. Different types of anesthesia include:

• General Anesthesia causes total unconsciousness. The patient is unaware of their surroundings and does not feel any physical pain. General anesthesia can be given as gases or vapors inhaled through a mask or as a liquid injected in a vein.
• Regional Anesthesia is injected near a cluster of nerves to numb an area of the body which requires surgery. The patient can either remain awake for the procedure or can be given a sedative to go to sleep. The two most common types of regional anesthesia are spinal and epidural anesthesia.
• Local Anesthesia is injected into the tissue to numb the area that requires minor surgery.

What to Expect

At Face and Jaw Surgery Center, our expert oral and maxillofacial surgeons are trained in all aspects of anesthesia administration in order to provide you with a safe and effective outpatient procedure. Extensively trained and experienced, our surgeons have the ability to diagnose the source of your pain, determine the most effective treatment and administer the appropriate type of anesthesia. Our surgeons are also trained to maintain your vital life functions through continual monitoring and assessment before, during and after your surgery.

Prior to the procedure, you will meet with your oral surgeon to determine together which type of anesthesia is right for you. Your surgeon will inform you about any side effects and what you can expect to feel during the entire procedure. The more knowledgeable you are about all aspects of the impending surgery, the less anxiety you will experience. Our top priority is to make sure you are as comfortable and pain-free as possible.

No-Obligation Consultation

If your doctor recommends a consultation with an oral and maxillofacial specialist, contact Face and Jaw Surgery Center at one of our four, convenient North Dakota locations. Our experienced surgeons have performed thousands of face and jaw surgeries. We can evaluate your condition and recommend the most effective treatment plan.

Face and Jaw Surgery Center serves all of North Dakota and North West Minnesota including Moorhead, MN and East Grand Forks, MN.

Bismarck, ND office

Fargo, ND office

Grand Forks, ND office

Minot, ND office

The American Cancer Society estimates that over 34,000 new cases of oral cavity cancer (mouth cancer) and oropharyngeal cancer (throat cancer) will be diagnosed in 2011. Even though the number of new cases has been dropping over the past three decades, there has been a recent rise in cases of oral cavity cancer in men under the age of 50 that is related to infection with human papilloma virus (HPV), a sexually transmitted virus. The death rate for these cancers has been dropping since the late 1970s.

Signs of Oral Cancer and other Oral Pathologies

The inside of the mouth is normally lined with a special type of skin (mucosa) that is smooth and coral pink in color. Any alteration in this appearance could be a warning sign of a pathological process, the most serious being oral cancer. The following can be early signs:

• Reddish patches (erythroplakia) or whitish patches (leukoplakia) in the mouth.
• A sore that fails to heal and bleeds easily.
• A lump or thickening on the skin lining the inside of the mouth.
• Chronic sore throat or hoarseness.
• Difficulty in chewing or swallowing.

You can detect these changes on the lips, cheeks, palate, gum tissue around the teeth, tongue, face and/or neck.

The 5-Minute Self Exam

Step #1: Press along the sides and front of your neck and face, and feel for any tenderness, swelling or lumps.

Step #2: Pull up your upper lip, and look for sores and color changes on your lip and gums. Repeat this on your lower lip.

Step #3: Use your fingers to pull out your cheeks, and look for any color changes such as red, white or dark patches. Put your index finger on the inside and your thumb on the outside of your cheeks to feel for any lumps.

Step #4: Tilt your head back and open your mouth wide to see is there are any lumps or color changes.

Step #5: Grab your tongue with cotton gauze and examine for swellings or color changes. Look at the top, back and sides of your tongue.

Step #6: Touch the roof of your mouth with your tongue and look at the underside of your tongue and the floor of your mouth. See if there are any color changes or lumps. Use one finger inside your mouth and one finger on the outside, and feel for any unusual bumps, swelling or tenderness.

As with all cancers, early detection is a critical part of successful treatment. The oral and maxillofacial surgeons at Face and Jaw Surgery Center in North Dakota recommend that you examine your mouth once a month, so that you notice any changes early.

In addition to your monthly self exams, visit your dentist regularly for check-ups and cleanings. Remember that your mouth is one of your body’s most important warning systems. Do not ignore suspicious lumps or sores. Make an appointment with your dentist for a professional evaluation of your situation.

No-Obligation Consultation

If your dentist recommends a consultation with an oral and maxillofacial specialist, contact Face and Jaw Surgery Center at one of our four, convenient North Dakota locations. Our surgeons are specially trained in oral cancer and other types of pathologies of the mouth and have performed thousands of oral surgeries. We can evaluate your condition and recommend the most effective treatment plan.

Face and Jaw Surgery Center serves all of North Dakota and North West Minnesota including Moorhead, MN and East Grand Forks, MN.

Bismarck, ND office

Fargo, ND office

Grand Forks, ND office

Minot, ND office

A chemical peel is a great way to improve the appearance of your skin. A chemical peel uses a chemical solution to rejuvenate the texture of your skin by removing the damaged outer layers, thus revealing softer and smoother skin underneath. After a thorough cleansing, the solution is applied to the affected area of the face, neck, chest, or other body parts. The peel is left on the skin for several minutes before being removed. Most procedures take less than an hour to perform, with minimal discomfort during the treatment.

What are the Benefits of Chemical Peels?

Sun exposure, acne, scarring or general roughness of the skin can leave your skin uneven and give you a more aged appearance. Thanks to nonsurgical chemical peels, your skin can look smoother and younger without surgery. A chemical peel can visibly improve the following aspects of your skin:

• Acne or acne scars
• Age and liver spots
• Freckles
• Irregular skin pigmentation
• Fine lines and wrinkles
• Rough skin and scaly patches
• Scars
• Sun-damaged skin

Pre-cancerous conditions such as keratoses (thick, rough patches) also respond well to this procedure.

Types of Chemical Peels

There are several types of chemical peels, ranging from light peels to deep peels for more severe skin conditions.

• Alpha Hydroxy Acid Peel — One of the mildest of chemical peels, this glycolic acid treatment is often used to reduce the appearance of fine lines, smooth rough skin and produce a more even skin tone. These treatments are usually performed in a series in order to achieve optimal results.
• Beta Hydroxy Acid Peel – This chemical peel is slightly deeper and longer lasting than the alpha hydroxy acid peel because the main ingredient, salicylic acid, is more potent. The beta hydroxy peels are geared towards treatment of acne-prone skin and are also performed in a series in order to achieve desired results.
• Jessner’s Peel — This light chemical peel is slightly stronger than both the alpha and beta hydroxy formulas and is appropriate for skin that is too damaged to respond to the alpha and beta hydroxy peels, yet does not require a medium or deep chemical peel.
• TCA Peel — Trichloroacetic acid is a very versatile peel. Not only can it be used as a medium level peel, but it may also be used as a deeper peel, depending on the concentration used. The TCA peel can successfully treat sun damage, fine lines, wrinkles and acne scarring. The results are more dramatic than light chemical peels.
• Phenol Peel – This deep chemical peel can be used to remove precancerous growths and completely diminish deep wrinkles.

No-Obligation Consultation

If you are interested in what a chemical peel can do for your complexion, contact Face and Jaw Surgery Center at one of our four, convenient North Dakota locations. When we examine you, we will evaluate your condition and recommend the most effective treatment plan to enhance and rejuvenate your skin.

Bismarck, ND office

Minot, ND office

Grand Forks, ND office

• difficulty chewing or biting food
• difficulty swallowing
• chronic headache, jaw or jaw joint pain (TMJ)
• excessive wear of the teeth
• open bite (space between the upper and lower teeth when the mouth is closed)
• unbalanced facial appearance from the front or side
• facial injury or birth defects
• receding chin
• protruding jaw
• inability to make the lips meet without straining
• chronic mouth breathing and dry mouth
• sleep apnea (breathing problems when sleeping, including snoring)

A Team Approach to Corrective Jaw Surgery

Every patient is different and must be evaluated individually to determine if he or she might benefit from corrective jaw surgery. People who have experienced disproportionate facial growth are treated with a team approach involving you, your dentist, orthodontist and oral and maxillofacial surgeon.

Your dentist is responsible for making sure your teeth, gums and mouth are healthy. Naturally, you are responsible for good daily oral hygiene. Your orthodontist is responsible for aligning your teeth properly in both your upper and lower jaw. Your oral and maxillofacial surgeon is responsible for surgically aligning your jaws properly, once your teeth are in alignment. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are specially trained to treat facial growth imbalances, also known as disproportionate facial growth.

To determine if you will benefit from corrective jaw surgery, a thorough examination, including x-rays and study models, must be conducted by your orthodontist and oral surgeon. If only your teeth are out of alignment or your bite is too crowded, you will most likely just need the orthodontist to properly align your teeth. If the exam shows that your jaws have experienced disproportionate growth, you will likely benefit from corrective jaw surgery that places your teeth and upper and lower jaws in a more functional relationship.

Orthognathic surgery, or corrective jaw surgery, is a two-phase process that requires a long-term commitment from the patient:

Phase #1: Teeth Alignment

Your orthodontist will begin aligning your teeth. This process can take from several months to years to complete. It may be helpful to remove some of your permanent teeth early in the treatment process to achieve a better result.

During this lengthy phase, you will make regular visits to the orthodontist to monitor the progress of the treatment and to make adjustments. You must also visit the dentist regularly for cleanings and checkups.

Phase #2: Corrective Jaw Surgery

Once your teeth are properly aligned, you will re-visit the oral and maxillofacial surgeon to review the treatment plan for aligning your jaws. Surgery may be performed on your upper jaw, lower jaw or both jaws, depending on your situation. Incisions are made inside your mouth to avoid visible scars on your face, except in special cases. Often, an additional procedure is performed on your chin to establish facial balance for your new bite. These procedures are usually done at the same time.

No-Obligation Consultation

 Schedule a no-obligation consultation about corrective jaw surgery with the oral surgeons at Face and Jaw Surgery Center at one of our four, convenient North Dakota locations. Our surgeons are specially trained in orthognathic surgery and have performed hundreds of jaw correction surgeries. They can evaluate your jaw alignment problem and recommend the most effective treatment plan.

Face and Jaw Surgery Center serves all of North Dakota and North West Minnesota including Moorhead, MN and East Grand Forks, MN.

Bismarck, ND office

Fargo, ND office

Grand Forks, ND office

Minot, ND office

Why Are our Mouths Such a Poor Fit for our Teeth?

Our wisdom teeth, known as our third set of molars, are a remnant of our ancient past – when the first humans roamed the earth as hunter-gatherers, roasting meat over an open fire. Our jaw bones were bigger back then and easily accommodated 32 teeth. We had a much coarser, high-protein diet, too, so our teeth wore down faster (not to mention the lack of dental care). Wisdom teeth were a welcome addition to our ancestors’ mouths and meant that they would be able to chew meat and live longer.

Main Reasons for Removing Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth are the last teeth to erupt (break through the gum tissue). When they align properly and gum tissue is healthy, wisdom teeth do not have to be removed. Unfortunately, this does not generally happen. Due to our smaller mouths, wisdom teeth take many positions as they try to find a pathway that will allow them to successfully erupt. They may grow in sideways, partially emerge from the gum, and even remain trapped beneath the gum and bone (known as impacted teeth)

When wisdom teeth erupt partially through the gum, they can cause problems that require removal.

1. Decay.  Saliva, bacteria and food particles can get trapped around an impacted wisdom tooth and cause it, or the adjacent tooth to decay. The decay is hard to remove, so pain and infection are virtually inevitable.
2. Pressure on other teeth.  The erupting wisdom tooth creates the pressure of overcrowding on other teeth and lead to erosion of other teeth.
3.  Gum Infection. Food and bacteria can collect under the gum and cause a local infection which can easily spread to the cheek and neck.
4. Orthodontic Effects. After parents spend a great deal of time and money on orthodontic work to straighten their children’s teeth, the growth of wisdom teeth can compromise those hard-earned orthodontic results.
5. Cysts. The soft tissue around an impacted wisdom tooth can be a fertile environment for a cyst to grow. The dangers of a cyst are bone destruction, jaw expansion and damage to nearby teeth. It becomes necessary to remove the tooth and cyst to prevent further bone loss.
6. Prosthetic Reasons.  To prepare properly for dentures, patients should have any remaining wisdom teeth removed. If left in, a wisdom tooth might later erupt and require a new denture that takes the new shape of the gum.

Early Evaluation and Treatment Is Recommended

Studies have shown that early evaluation and treatment in the mid-teenage years by a dentist or oral and maxillofacial surgeon result in a better outcome for the patient.

No-Obligation Wisdom Tooth Consultation

With an oral examination and x-rays of your mouth, the highly skilled oral and maxillofacial surgeons at our four North Dakota locations can evaluate the position of your wisdom teeth and predict if there are present problems or the potential for future ones.

All outpatient surgery is performed under appropriate anesthesia to maximize patient comfort. Our surgeons have the training, licensing and experience to provide various types of anesthesia.

Schedule a no-obligation consultation about wisdom tooth extractions with the oral surgeons at Face and Jaw Surgery Center at one of our four, convenient locations.

Face and Jaw Surgery Center serves all of North Dakota and North West Minnesota including Moorhead, MN and East Grand Forks, MN.

Bismarck, ND

Fargo, ND

Grand Forks, ND

Minot, ND

The Greek word “apnea” means “without breath.” People who have untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during the night, sometimes as often as hundreds of times during a single night.  Often they stop breathing for a minute or longer. The combination of a bad night’s sleep, night after night, and not breathing normally can have serious health consequences, including:

• High blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease
• Memory problems
• Weight gain
• Impotency
• Headaches

Other complications include poor job performance and a greater likelihood of being in an accident while driving.

What are symptoms of sleep apnea?

In the United States, sleep apnea is a very common sleep disorder. According to the National Institute of Health, it affects more than twelve-million Americans.

Sleep apnea is as common as adult diabetes; unfortunately, the majority of people who suffer from it don’t know they have it, because sleep apnea symptoms are varied and can easily be attributed to other conditions. For example, do you:

• Wake up with the feeling that you haven’t slept enough
• Have problems concentrating or remembering things
• Get headaches in the morning or at night
• Experience heartburn or a sour taste in your mouth at night
• Notice swelling in your legs
• Get up to urinate during the night
• Sweat or have chest pain when you’re sleeping

What are treatments for sleep apnea?

Proper sleep apnea treatment begins with recognizing the symptoms and meeting with a sleep apnea specialist such as an ear-nose-throat physician or an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. These medical professionals have the specialized equipment and examination procedures to diagnose sleep apnea.

Treatment options include a range of non-surgical and surgical modalities. Used nightly, a nasal CPAP machine that delivers pressurized oxygen through a nasal mask can limit airway obstruction at night and create more normal breathing patterns.

When non-surgical treatments are not effective, it’s time to consider sleep apnea surgery options to correct your sleep apnea such as an uvulo-palato-pharyngo-plasty (UPPP surgery, for short), which is performed in the back of the soft palate and throat.

The severest cases of sleep apnea may require a sleep apnea surgery such as orthognathic surgery. Orthognathic surgery repositions the bones of the upper and lower jaw in order to increase the size of the airway. The procedure is done in the hospital under general anesthesia and requires a one to two-day overnight hospital stay.

North Dakota Sleep Apnea Specialists

If you are having unexplained symptoms that resemble the sleep apnea symptoms in this article, we invite you to consult with the oral and maxillofacial surgeons at Face and Jaw Surgery Center at one of our four convenient locations in North Dakota for an accurate diagnosis and effective non-surgery and surgery treatment options.

Face and Jaw Surgery Center serves all of North Dakota and North West Minnesota including Moorhead, MN and East Grand Forks, MN.

Bismarck, ND office
Fargo, ND office
Grand Forks, ND office
Minot, ND office