What is an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon?

An oral and maxillofacial surgeon is a dentist with advanced surgical education which now requires at least four years of additional hospital training following completion of college and dental school.  These credentials qualify the surgeon as a specialist in the diagnosis, surgical and adjunctive treatment of diseases, injuries, deformities, defects and cosmetic aspects of the mouth, face and jaws.  The Oral and Maxillofacial surgeon has also received special training that prepares him or her to provide treatment to you using local anesthesia, gas analgesia, intravenous sedation or general anesthesia.  Once the doctor completes training, he or she is then qualified to take the rigorous written and oral examinations of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery to attain certification.

Essentially, oral and maxillofacial surgeons are doctors who have specialized, extensive training in dentistry, medicine and surgery and limit their practices to the diagnosis, surgery and other treatments of the mouth, face and jaws.

About Us:

Mission:  Our mission is to provide the highest quality oral surgery procedures in a caring, personal and professional environment.  Our highly experienced team understands the initial anxiety patients may have before receiving any treatment and helps patients understand what they will be experiencing at all steps of the process to make patients feel as comfortable as possible in our office.

Dr. Wong is a specialist of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.  He serves as Chief of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Portland with special attention and treatment of cancer patients.  Dr. Wong has served as Chair of the Section of Dentistry and Oral Surgery at Southwest Washington Medical Center.  Dr. Wong received his Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree from Oregon Health Sciences University in 1982, completed a General Practice Residency in 1983 and his Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residency in 1987.  Hi is licensed to practice in Washington and Oregon.  Professional memberships include the American Dental Association, American Dental Society of Anesthesiology,

American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, and the Oregon and Washington Societies of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.  Dr. Wong has been serving patients in Southwest Washington and Portland for over 17 years.

Experienced Staff:  Our well seasoned and personable staff has worked in both General Practice and Oral Surgery offices and are well known throughout Clark County.  Lynn Spores-Office Manager; Silvia Albarran, Kim Redburn and Danyka Eugenides-Certified Surgical Assistants.

We recognized the need for a state of the art Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery office in North Vancouver/Clark Co.  We selected a site in the new Salmon Creek Medical Corridor just 4 blocks north of the new Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital and directly across from the Kaiser Permanente Medical building. Careful thought and planning went into the building of our oral surgery office.  Esthetic interior design and state of the art technical planning were blended to create a warm, inviting atmosphere for office based surgery.

Common Procedures:

Wisdom Teeth:  The average adult has thirty two teeth by age eighteen: sixteen teeth on the top and 16 teeth on the bottom. Each tooth in the mouth has a specific name and function.  The teeth in the front of the mouth (incisors, canine and bicuspid teeth) are ideal for grasping and biting food pieces while the back teeth or molar teeth, are used to grind food into a consistency suitable for swallowing.

Wisdom teeth are the last teeth to erupt within the mouth.  When they align properly, and gum tissue is healthy, wisdom teeth do not have to be removed. Unfortunately, this does not generally happen.  The extraction of wisdom teeth is necessary when they are prevented from properly erupting within the mouth.  They may grow sideways, partially emerge from the gum, and even remain trapped beneath the gum and bone.  Impacted teeth can take many positions in the bone as they attempt to find a pathway that will allow them to erupt successfully.

With an oral examination and x-rays of the mouth we can evaluate the position of the wisdom teeth and predict if there may be presents or future problems.  Studies have shown that early evaluation and treatment result in a superior outcome for the patient. Patients are generally first evaluated in the mid-teenage years by their dentist, orthodontist or by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon.

Dental Implants:
 

Millions of Americans suffer from permanent tooth loss.  Dental implants offer an excellent alternative to natural teeth.  Dental implants are made of materials that are compatible with human bone and tissue.  Small posts are attached to the implants and serve as stable anchors for artificial replacement teeth.

Working as a team member with the restorative dentist, the oral and maxillofacial surgeon can evaluate the patient and place implants in conjunction with necessary bone grafting of the jaw.  Dental implant surgery

is often done in the doctor‚s office, dependent upon the patient's individual needs.

Orthognathic Surgery:

Discrepancies in skeletal growth between the upper and lower jaws may lead to both functional and psychological difficulties.  Functionally, this may involve problems withchewing, swallowing, speech, or tempromandibular joint (TMJ) function. Patients may also exhibit psychological difficulties stemming from esthetic and social concerns.  Some abnormalities may involve only misaligned teeth and can be corrected orthodontically with braces or other appliances. Serious growth disturbances require surgery to realign the upper and/or lower jaw into a more normal relationship.   Surgical correction of these problems (orthognathic surgery) is often performed in conjunction with treatment by an orthodontist and restorative dentist.  Through careful diagnosis and surgical treatment planning, the outcome may be reasonably predicted.  Orthognathic surgery is usually performed in a hospital or ambulatory surgical center under general anesthesia.  The end result is a more balanced, functional skeletal relationship.

Oral Pathology:

Oral Pathology is the diagnosis and treatment of cysts, pre-malignant tumors, and malignant tumors.  When indicated, the treated area can be reconstructed with hard and soft tissue grafts.

Differential diagnosis of pathology in the maxillofacial region is an important part of the practice of oral and maxillofacial surgery.  If indicated, biopsies and/or other tests can be performed to arrive at a definitive diagnosis and appropriate treatment plan.  Early detection and treatment of oral lesions greatly improve the patient‚s prognosis.  Lesions may be managed medically or surgically removed.

Much of Dr. Wong‚s time at the Veteran‚s Hospital is spent in the diagnosis and treatment of patient's with malignant oral pathologies.

Facial Trauma:

Because of their expanded dental/medical background and hospital-based training, oral and maxillofacial surgeons are uniquely qualified to deal with injuries to the face, jaws, mouth and teeth.  Dental occlusion is the most important piece of the puzzle in dealing with complex facial fractures. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons have extensive training in repairing traumatic injuries, including fractures of the mandible and maxilla as well as closure of extraoral lacerations.  Childhood injuries resulting from skateboarding, sports or bicycle accidents often involve dental or maxillofacial trauma.  Younger children often sustain damage to teeth or supporting structures from falls.  Such traumatic injuries can usually be effectively treated in the oral and maxillofacial surgery office, avoiding costly emergency room visits.  For the pediatric patient, various sedation techniques can be employed to deliver prompt and effective treatment in the private office setting.

Pain Control/Anesthesia:

Dr. Wong is able to provide numerous methods to make patients as comfortable as possible, before, during and after surgical procedures, including topical anesthesia, local anesthesia, nitrous oxide (laughing gas), intravenous sedation (twilight sleep), and general anesthesia.

All procedures are monitored by at lease three professionals who are trained in basic and/or advanced cardiac life support.  In addition, all patients are monitored electronically with continuous electrocardiogram (EKG), continuous pulse oximetry (measures oxygen in the blood), and intermittent electronic blood pressure readings for the wellbeing of all patients, the same basic emergency drugs and equipment as would be found in a hospital operating room (including an electronic defibrillator) are available on site.

On occasion, in conjunction with the general dentist, patients are able to have general anesthesia for their restorative dentistry.

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