Oral Surgery (Dentoalveolar Surgery)

Oral surgery is surgery in the mouth to remove an abnormal growth. It can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancer).  It may involve the removal of a growth from the following:

  • Tongue
  • Gum (Gingivae)
  • Jaw bone
  • Palate
  • Salivary gland

It can be done under local anaesthetic if the lesion is small.  General anaesthesia may be required if the lesion is large.  The wound can be managed by various methods:

  1. Simple closure by dissolvable sutures
  2. Leave open to heal naturally
  3. Local flap repair if the wound is large

If the lesion is very large or involves a large amount of jaw bone, one may also need to be seen by a plastic surgeon who will replace the defect with skin/ bone from elsewhere in the body.