Other jaw surgery There are many other types of procedures that an oral and maxillofacial surgeon can perform. These can include removal of mouth lesions, cleft surgery, bone grafts, reconstruction of facial bones, and facial trauma.

These procedures would be discussed in detail during an initial consultation. The procedures and relevant risks would be outlined.

Many types of lesions can grow in the mouth. Most of these are benign but some can be cancerous. For this reason most lesions are removed either totally or partially.

These will be sent to the oral pathologist who will examine it under a microscope. He will then provide a diagnosis to make sure the proper treatment will be performed.

If it is benign then usually no further treatment will be indicated. If it is cancerous then you will be referred to the B.C. Cancer Agency who deals with this type of treatment.

Most lesions are small and are removed under local anesthetic only. Depending on the location, some lesions may involve general anesthetic to remove them. This situation will be discussed with you at your consultation.

The cleft surgery performed in this office will involve bone grafts to the cleft area, orthognathic (jaw ) surgery or closure of holes in the cleft area.

Bone Grafts to Clefts
These are performed to provide support to the nasal base and the erupting canine tooth and attempt to close the holes in the cleft area between the mouth and nose.

They also provide strength to the upper jaw by joining both sides together. The usual timing is between 9 to 12 years of age.

The procedure involves taking a bone graft from the hip and placing it in the cleft area. Bone from the hip gives the best result as it is the patient's own bone and will resist infection the best

As it is a live bone graft, the surgery involves hospital care for one overnight stay. The procedure takes about one hour for a unilateral (single) and 2 1/2 hours for a bilateral (double) cleft.

The biggest risk is infection and thus everyone will be covered with antibiotics to prevent this problem. There are usually a few post operative visits to check the healing.

There are many defects in the upper and lower jaws that require grafting with bone. This is done to try and obtain an acceptable cosmetic and functional result.

These defects can happen for many reasons such as cancer surgery, trauma, or congenital (birth) defects. The type of procedure will be discussed with each individual case.

Treating facial trauma is done through the hospital. Cases are often referred from the emergency room.