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Specialist of the face, mouth and jaws
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Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons are doubly qualified in Medicine and Dentistry with specialist training and experience which gives an unparalleled understanding of the surgical anatomy and pathology of conditions affecting the face, mouth, jaws and the rest of face and skull.
Our face is our stage to the world and many conditions affecting our face, mouth, jaws and other parts that are not so visible, have direct influence on the function and appearance of our face.
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Pathology of the face, jaw and mouth
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Any suspicious lesions (patch, ulcer or swelling) of face, jaw, mouth, head and neck which have not healed within three weeks should be seen by a Maxillofacial Surgeon. Benign and cystic lesions of the mouth and jaw may only cause symptoms late in the disease process. Early diagnosis and prompt management are important. With the incidence of oral cancer being of the same order as cervical cancer, practitioners are encouraged to refer patients with suspicious changes at an early stage.
(See information on Orofacial Cancer and Mouth Patches)
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Pathology of skin of face, head and neck region
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This is the diagnosis and surgical removal of numerous different types of skin lesions, from the common to the not so common. These may include skin cancers.
(See information on Facial Skin Lesions)
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Salivary glands
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Many people have problems affecting the three major salivary glands or numerous minor salivary glands scattered throughout the mouth. The most common problem is swelling or infection of glands due to obstruction of salivary ducts. This can be caused by a 'stone' or thick saliva in ducts for major salivary glands or injury to the minor salivary glands. Cancer of the salivary glands are rare.
(See information on Salivary Glands)
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Facial pain and jaw joint problems
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Facial pain can be complex and it is often related to problems of the jaw joint and its associated masticatory muscles, toothache, sinusitis, migraine and trigeminal neuralgia and other severe nerve pains. Facial pain, joint clicking or grating, difficult in opening mouth wide or jaw locking are common complaints of jaw joint problems (TMJ disorders). All these conditions respond to Maxillofacial Specialist diagnosis, advice and treatment.
(See information on TMJ disorders)
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Facial skin and bony injury
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Injury to facial skin, bone and teeth can be distressing but with proper attention, diagnosis, treatment and time, both facial appearance and function will show significant improvement and return towards normal.
(See information on Facial Injury)
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Oral surgery
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All conditions affecting teeth, gum and their supporting alveolar bone which is outside the scope of dental surgery (i.e. the restoration of teeth, crowns, bridges and other prostheses). This includes treatment of infection and tumour of tooth, gum and oral tissue, and tooth impaction (teeth growing sideways or downwards instead of through the gum).
(See information on Wisdom Teeth, Canine Teeth, Dental Cysts and Apicectomy)
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Orthognathic surgery
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Orthognathic surgery is carried out to improve the alignment of the jaws in order to improve both function and appearance of mouth, airway and face. Most surgical treatment is planned with an Orthodontic team for treatment both before and after jaw surgery.(See information on Orthognathic Surgery)
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Implant surgery and prosthesis
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Facial or dental defects can affect individual both functionally and aesthetically. Special titanium implants can be inserted into jaws or facial bone for teeth replacement or act as stable support for facial prostheses (for instance, ear, eye, nose, etc.). This treatment will be planned with Specialist Maxillofacial technicians. (See further information on Prostheses in Technical Section)
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Cleft lip and palate
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Surgery of cleft lip and palate aims at restoring all the oro-facial functions. The long term treatment goals of good function and aesthetics are achieved by continuing multi-disciplinary attention which may include bone grafting and orthognathic surgery.
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