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New Patients Welcome! 

Locations in AR, TN, MO

Oral Surgery & TMJ Therapy

Many general dentists are not able to perform oral surgery and TMJ therapy, but at Higginbotham Family Dental, Dr. Higginbotham and his associate dentists are highly trained and certified to perform these extra procedures. Read below to see if oral surgery or TMJ therapy is right for you!

Oral Surgery

Sometimes oral surgery treatment is necessary to restore full oral health. So all of our locations offer many types of oral surgery. Some oral surgery can be performed the same day as your x-rays and exams. More complicated or complex treatment, that requires advanced sedation, may need to be scheduled back for another day. We do most simple, surgical and wisdom teeth extractions. But if we are not able to pull a tooth for a patient we will refer out to a trusted oral surgeon to get the treatment taken care of. So, the types of oral surgery that we can do in our offices include wisdom teeth extractions, biopsies, bone graphs, dental implants, and more. Request an appointment today, and let us help you start your journey to better oral health!

dental emergency

Extractions

Tooth extraction is a relatively standard dental procedure.

Tooth extraction is the removal of a tooth from its socket in the bone. The following issues can require an extraction:

  • Decay or infection has reached deep into the tooth
  • Trauma or injury
  • Not enough room for all the teeth in your mouth
  • Baby teeth that don’t fall out in time for the permanent teeth to come in
  • Orthodontic treatment might require tooth extraction to create room for the teeth as they move into the correct place
  • Wisdom teeth, also called third molars, are often extracted either before or after they come in (impacted)

Before removing a tooth, your dentist will thoroughly review your medical and dental history and take the appropriate X-rays. X-rays reveal the length, shape, and position of the tooth and surrounding bone. Before removal during a simple extraction, the dentist will numb the area around your tooth using local anesthetic. Tooth extraction makes room for something better and can help keep your smile healthy and confident.

Contact us today to schedule your next appointment.

TMJ Therapy

When jaw joints (temporomandibular joints or TMJ) are misaligned, patients may experience antagonistic symptoms such as:

  • Ringing ears
  • Popping or clicking jaws
  • Pain in the face, neck, shoulders, or mouth
  • Tooth wear from grinding and clenching
  • Tingling in the extremities
  • Difficulty opening and closing the mouth
  • Headaches, and even migraines

If these symptoms sound familiar, we may be able to offer relief for bruxism (clenching and grinding) recommend a preventive night guard to keep teeth apart while you sleep. For more extensive cases, we may recommend a specialist. 

 

Schedule your TMJ assessment today by calling any of our dental offices. We want you to look good, be healthy, and feel fantastic!