Patient Education

Dental care and treatment can improve your smile and boost your self-confidence. Our highly experienced, board-certified dental professionals and compassionate staff make keeping healthy, attractive teeth for your lifetime a reality.

LI Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons provides a full range of dental services including the following:

CEREC® System FAQs

What is the CEREC® System?

The CEREC (Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics) multi-instrument system allows dentists to create and place custom-fit ceramic restorations during a single patient visit.

How long does the CEREC procedure take?

The complete CEREC procedure takes place during one appointment, and lasts only about 30 minutes. The dentist prepares the affected tooth and designs the restoration using on-site CEREC technology. The new tooth or crown in created in less than 20 minutes, and is polished and placed into the patient's mouth. ...

Cone Beam CT Scan Imaging

Radiology is an important tool in diagnosing and assessing dental abnormalities in patients. It is especially helpful in treating patients with problems in the dentomaxillofacial region. Cone Beam CT Scan Imaging, also known as CBCT, is considered an important innovation in dental X-ray diagnostics, particularly for dentomaxillofacial surgery. Unlike regular X-rays, CBCT scans can differentiate among many types of tissue including bone, teeth and nerves. ...

Orthognathic Surgery

Orthognathic surgery is performed to correct problems with malocclusion and the jaw. Also known as corrective jaw surgery, orthognathic surgery corrects a wide range of facial and dental irregularities, including the misalignment of jaws and teeth, which helps to improve chewing, speaking and even breathing. Orthognathic surgery is commonly performed to correct functional problems, although it may also be performed for aesthetic reasons. ...

Cosmetic Gum Surgery

As cosmetic surgery has become more mainstream, patients are seeking surgical options that will help them achieve their physical and aesthetic goals. Dentistry is no exception to this trend. Many people who are unhappy with their gums and the way their gums affect their smile, may choose to have cosmetic gum surgery to improve their appearance. ...

Conscious Sedation

Dental anxiety is a common phobia, which may affect individuals of any age. It manifests as fear of undergoing dental treatment or even visiting the dentist for a cleaning. Many people actually avoid going to the dentist because of this fear and as a result compromise their dental health. ...

Dental Trauma

Dental trauma involves any kind of injury to the face, teeth, gums or jaw line. Patients may experience trauma as a result of a sports injury, motor vehicle accident, or other type of incident. These injuries can range from facial cuts and lacerations to more serious problems such as broken teeth and fractures. The most common type of injury is a fracture of the tooth crown. ...

Leukoplakia

Leukoplakia is a condition in which white patches form on the gums or tongue, or on the inside of the cheek. They form as a reaction to irritation of the mucous membranes of the mouth. The cause of leukoplakia is unknown, but it may be triggered by tobacco use.

Leukoplakia patches may be thin or thick, and cannot be wiped away. Raised red lesions may also appear. Most of these sores are harmless, although they may be early signs of oral cancer. ...

Neuromuscular Dentistry

Neuromuscular dentistry is an area of dentistry that focuses not only on the teeth as they relate to the jaw, but on the nerves, muscles and joints as they relate to the jaw. By combining the principles of anatomy and physiology, neuromuscular dentistry works to achieve an optimal bite (occlusion) and jaw alignment. Neuromuscular dentists examine how all parts of the mouth and jaw work together. The objective of a neuromuscular dentist is to relax the jaw muscles in order to identify the true resting position of the jaw. They focus on determining the optimal position of the jaw in order to correct misalignment and jaw disorders. ...

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Oral and maxillofacial surgery is the treatment of problems affecting the mouth, teeth, gums, jaws and related facial structures. Procedures are often performed on patients with skeletal and dental irregularities that occur as a result of congenital defects, injury, disease or other factors. Maxillofacial surgery is also performed to treat patients with oral cancer or jaw cysts. ...

Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology

Oral and maxillofacial pathology concentrates on diagnosing and understanding the nature of diseases and abnormal conditions in the oral and facial areas. Oral and maxillofacial pathology is a branch of dentistry concerned with the nature and identification of characteristics, causes and effects of diseases affecting the mouth and oral cavity, including the teeth, jaws, soft tissue and salivary glands. ...

Sinus Lift

A sinus lift is a surgical procedure that adds bone to the upper jaw to make room for dental implants. The bone is added between the jaw and the maxillary sinuses, which are located on both sides of the nose. A sinus lift is most often performed on patients who have lost teeth in the upper jaw, or who have lost bone from gum disease or tooth loss. ...

Dental Splints

A dental splint is an orthodontic device that can be used to stabilize loose teeth or protect the teeth from damage in patients who experience bruxism or teeth grinding, or patients with temporomandibular joint disorders also known as TMJ. Splints are sometimes used to treat patients with sleep apnea or snoring problems. ...

Dental Extractions

A dental extraction, also known as exodontia, is one of the most common procedures performed at a dentist's office. The procedure involves removing or pulling a tooth. Dentists will attempt to treat related oral conditions to save the tooth, but this is not always possible or effective, and in some cases, an extraction may be necessary. ...

ViziLite® TBlue® System

The ViziLite® TBlue® system is an oral cancer screening system that helps dentists identify and detect abnormal lesions that may be early signs of oral cancer.

ViziLite TBlue Procedure

The patient rinses her or his mouth with a pre-rinse solution. Using the ViziLite TBlue handheld light source, the dentist examines the inside of the mouth for abnormal tissue, which will appear white under the light. If there is a lesion, the dentist will map the area and take appropriate clinical action. ...

Wisdom Teeth Extraction FAQs

What are wisdom teeth?

The wisdom teeth, also known as the third molars, develop during early adulthood, most often between the ages of 15 and 25. Most mouths are too small to support these additional molars, making an extraction procedure necessary. If not removed, the wisdom teeth may cause pain, infection and swelling of the face or gum line, as well as the development of cysts and tumors. ...