Procedures may take as little as an hour and some (cosmetic, reconstruction, etc) may last up to three hours. A patient undergoing treatment under general anesthesia or conscious sedation cannot, by law, drive for at least 24 hours. If the procedure is done with local anesthetic alone, the patient may drive; however, we still encourage a ride as some patients may be uncomfortable afterward. We will confirm this as well as many other important things during the consultation appointment.
Includes procedures to repair simple and complex soft tissue injuries and lacerations of skin of the face, lips, nose, eyelids, ears, and mouth; repair of fractures of the entire facial skeleton, including eye sockets cheekbones, and jaws; stabilization and/or re-plantation of loosened teeth. Also offered is revision and repair of previously treated facial injuries, scars, or other post-traumatic conditions.
Symptoms may include: abnormal growths in the oral cavity or on the facial skin; a foul taste, aroma, or discharge in the mouth; chronic oral, facial, or jaw pain; sore throat; hoarseness; difficulty chewing or swallowing; a lump on the skin of the face or neck or inside the mouth; or a sore that will not heal and/or is painless but easily bleeds anywhere on the face, especially the lip; patches of redness or whitish areas in the oral cavity or on lips. Treatment options vary from simple excision and biopsy to complex removal and reconstruction. Moles and other lesions of the skin are also treated.
"Wisdom teeth" are actually third molars, farthest back in the dental arches, which often cannot erupt into normal position. They become clinically evident (either visible in the mouth or on x-ray) around age 15, but sometimes sooner. Most are simply removed at the the appropriate physical (ie not the chronological) age of the patient. Symptoms may be pain or recurrent, serious infections; however, patients without symptoms should be aware that disease associated with wisdom teeth may continue painlessly until there is further damage or involvement of good teeth and bone. Many patients have been poorly advised to keep wisdom teeth into middle age, only to find damage may have already occurred, is relatively untreatable, and is involved with increased risks associated with the ill-timed surgery. Oral surgeons undergo four years of additional training beyond that achieved by his general dentist counterparts. This, in addition to ongoing experience in their evaluation and management, make the oral surgeon the most qualified specialist to render well informed decisions about the when and why of removal of wisdom teeth. “If they aren’t bothering you, leave them alone” is not a wise decision. A general dentist should maintain the health of all normal teeth, but will usually recommend that an oral surgeon remove wisdom teeth as a teenager or young adult.
Dental implants are changing the way people live. They are designed to provide a foundation (are actually the roots for a tooth) for replacement of teeth. With implants the teeth look, feel and function like natural teeth. The person who has lost teeth regains the ability to eat virtually anything, knowing that teeth appear natural and that facial contours will be preserved. Patients with dental implants can smile with confidence. Those wearing partials or even full dentures are often the most improved after implants are placed to hold them securely. No more “Polygrip”, “Fixodent”, or other “denture glue”!
This type of surgery is used to correct jaws and teeth that don't meet correctly; for patients who are unable to chew or speak properly; or for those patients who wish to improve their appearance. Orthognathic surgery is also used for cases of severe facial abnormalities due to genetic deformities. Orthognathic surgery often addresses a combination of these concerns and is often required when orthodontics (braces) alone cannot correct jaw or functional problems. Many jaw surgery cases present after inadviseable and unsuccessful attempts to finish cases where braces alone have failed. However, the situation is usually quickly resolved with the appropriate evaluation and treatment.
A blocked airway can cause problems such as snoring; however, the blockage and inability to breathe repeatedly wakes the patient from sleep due to a lack of oxygen. Untreated patients often experience excessive fatigue, weight gain, high blood pressure and other adverse health effects and can cause heart disease or failure. This condition is not only extremely disruptive to the patient's health, but also interferes with the rest and the health of other family members and spouses. In the past, the obstruction has often been misdiagnosed or under-diagnosed as involving only the palate or uvula. Treatment of only these parts of the palate has been minimally successful. In many cases, the obstruction is more often the tongue which falls back into the airway as muscle tone is lost as the patient falls asleep. Bimaxillary surgery, similar to that mentioned for orthognathic surgery, is used to advance the tongue base and the soft palate, opening the airway where other maneuvers (palate and adenoid surgery, for example) have failed.
Symptoms of this disorder include clicking or popping sounds from the jaw joint(s), pain in the joints, the temple, neck, and face, with headaches, muscle spasms, difficulty chewing and a feeling of an abnormal bite. Patients often have moderate to severe pain, joint noise, difficulty opening or closing, or chewing a normal diet, all which impact adversely on most of their activities of daily living. All too often, in untrained hands of so-called “TMJ” doctors (not a recognize specialty of either medicine or dentistry) patients may undergo inadviseable and irreversible treatment by tooth grinding, “jaw manipulation and adjustment”, and/or placement of massive splints which may permanently move teeth into abnormal positions. The result may be permanent jaw misalignment requiring years of braces to correct. As opposed to those who hold themselves out to be “TMJ” specialists, Oral surgeons have four years of training past dental school in the full range of management of TMJ disorders, including both noninvasive (splints, medication, injections, etc) and invasive (joint surgery or replacement). And contrary to most perceptions, including the dental community, surgery is the last option chosen by the competent oral surgeon. In the hands of a competent oral surgeon, non-surgical and noninvasive options are considered early; surgical options are only considered when the course of treatment for these patients dictates their consideration.
Cosmetic services offered include most soft tissue procedures, including facelifts for “jowls” or other facial wrinkles and skin excess; removal of excess eyelid skin and bags; elevation of drooping eyebrows; reduction and shaping of prominent ears; augmentation and shaping of the lips; nose reshaping, reduction, or straightening; and facial implants of all types (cheek, chin, lip, etc). Also offered is liposuction of the neck area; BOTOX® Cosmetic Procedures for frown lines, crows feet and other wrinkles due to facial muscle action; all facial fillers including Restylane®, Juvederm® and others. We also perform autogenous fat grafting as a more lasting alternative to the temporary facial fillers.
To better understand your overall health, we will evaluate your medical history prior to surgery. In addition, a complete examination of your eyes is made in order to decide the most effective injection sites. All issues and concerns will be discussed.
The areas that will be treated are marked and digital photographs are taken in order to determine the amount of improvement after surgery.
Wrinkles (crow’s feet, worry lines and laugh lines) can all be a thing of the past. These are referred to as dynamic wrinkle lines and all are treatable with this muscle weakening procedure. Contrary to popular belief, BOTOX is NOT a“filler”; it works instead by weakening the small facial muscles which cause the wrinkles. Cosmetic denervation is the process of injecting BOTOX® into the tiny facial muscles that create the wrinkles. It is absolutely safe in trained hands (of a physician). BOTOX® Cosmetic injections are performed without anesthesia because they are virtually painless. Only a very small sting is felt when the injections are made. The effects are not permanent and may need to be repeated two to three times per year to retain the effects. Research has suggested, however, that long term use of the injections leads to a longer duration of each treatment's effect. Patients over the age of 65 may not experience such dramatic results. BOTOX® Cosmetic is only useful in treating expression lines and cannot be used to repair sagging skin caused by aging.
After the operation patients may experience slight bruising around the area that quickly fades. Normal activities can be performed immediately. Possible side effects are temporary weakness of nearby muscles or in rare cases an eyelid may droop. BOTOX® Cosmetic is completely reversible so any side effect is only a temporary condition. The doctor will explain all risks associated at the time of your consultation.
As one of the most exciting and innovative scientific achievements of the decade, Laser technology is being utilized throughout the health care community. Dr. Scuba uses one of the newest, most advanced pulsed light lasers, to treat sun-damaged skin, facial wrinkles and scars in a procedure called laser skin resurfacing.
The word "laser" is an acronym, which stands for Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation. A surgical laser is a beam of light capable of removing unwanted tissue, such as scarred, lined, wrinkled, and otherwise imperfect skin. The laser vaporizes skin cells by emitting bursts of radiation that are absorbed by water in these cells. Laser light penetrates to a very precise, controlled depth, making the procedure safe and predictable, while reducing the risk of scarring or pigmentation problems. Laser skin resurfacing is bloodless, and is performed right here in our office, under light sedation. As a result of this treatment, you are left with more natural looking skin.
The laser is used to reduce tiny wrinkles, acne scars and other minor skin imperfections, especially around the mouth and eyes. It can improve sun-damaged and acne scarred skin, problems that often cause concern to both men and women.
Laser resurfacing can be used as a cleaner, more controllable, and safer alternative to chemical peels and dermabrasion—both fraught with hazards of over-treatment, skin scarring, and pigmentation abnormalities. The benefits of using laser technique include far less pain and a much faster recovery time. In most cases, it is also less costly. Both ablative and non-ablative (fraxel) state of the art laser and intense pulsed light therapy is offered for skin pigment, sun spots, age spots, abnormal blood vessels, rosacea, and both fine and deep wrinkles. A consultation is the best way to assess each patient’s particular concerns.