Covington Hammond 
Most patients think that once a tooth is gone, the hard part is over. But a dental prosthesis, whether that's a partial, a full set of dentures, or dental implants, needs a perfectly contoured landscape to sit on. If the foundation isn't right, the fit won't be either, which can lead to a world of discomfort. At The OMS Center of South Louisiana, Dr. Brandner performs preprosthetic surgery to get your mouth structurally ready for a comfortable, long-term fit.
Preprosthetic surgery is a specialized oral surgery procedure used to reshape the oral tissues and alveolar ridge before you get a dental prosthesis, like implants or dentures. This surgical modification ensures your jawbone and gums provide a smooth, solid foundation for dentures or dental implant placement.
The main goal here is stability. Without a smooth alveolar ridge, dentures tend to rub against sharp edges or "float" because of an irregular bony ridge. We want you to be comfortable. Studies show that when the bony ridge is surgically optimized, the long-term success rate for dental implant placement increases, largely because it prevents the uneven pressure that leads to early bone loss. By refining the surrounding structures, we're able to provide:
Patients who've dealt with significant bone loss after tooth extractions are usually the first candidates. The same goes for those with naturally irregular jaws. You might need this treatment if:
As a maxillofacial surgeon, Dr. Brandner treats several anatomical hurdles to make sure your smile actually works for you.
Tori are simply benign bone growths. They usually show up on the lingual side (the tongue side) of the atrophic mandible or the roof of the mouth. We remove them to make enough room so your dentures can sit flush against the gums.
After teeth are taken out, the alveolar ridge can stay jagged. We smooth those sharp edges down. It's a simple way to make sure the dental prosthesis doesn’t press painfully into the bone.
If there isn't enough jawbone left to hold implants, we'll likely perform a bone graft. We can use an autogenous bone graft (your own new bone) to rebuild that solid foundation.
Sometimes excess soft tissue or a high muscle insertion point can pull on your dentures, making them slip when you talk. We surgically move those tissues to restore your oral function.
When you come see us in Mandeville or Hammond, Dr. Brandner will take or review your 3D scans. We’ll also coordinate with your regular dentist. We’ll go over anesthesia options, too. Everything from local anesthesia and laughing gas to IV sedation. We want you to feel minimal discomfort and have a safe procedure.
We usually do this right in our office. For complex cases, we’ll use general anesthesia or IV sedation. Dr. Brandner carefully moves the gums to get to the bone, clears out any Tori or impacted teeth, and shapes the jaws. Most cases are done in under an hour. We're very careful about protecting your facial form and the neighboring teeth, so nothing should look different aside from the teeth we're actively working on.
Initial healing usually takes about a week. You’ll have some swelling and discomfort, which we call the "Ugly Phase" of oral surgery care. It's normal, and it's easy to manage.
A successful preprosthetic surgery means your mouth is finally ready for a permanent solution. Your implants will have a solid foundation, and you won't have to deal with the constant friction or pain that comes with irregular bone structures.
Pricing reflects the complexity of your specific anatomy. Removing one small area of Tori is different than a full-arch smoothing with tooth extractions. We’ll give you a full breakdown after your exam. We also offer financing through CareCredit to help you get through completing your treatment without the stress.
Dr. Brandner is a dual-degree oral and maxillofacial surgeon. He’s a DDS and an MD. While a general dentist might do minor procedures, complex procedures involving the jaws need a specialist's touch. We’re looking for a predictable result so your dentures feel as close to natural teeth as possible.
A prosthesis is an investment in your quality of life. But it’s only as good as the anatomy supporting it. If you've been told you have "difficult" bone structure or you’re tired of the constant friction from a poor fit, let's look at the underlying cause. Dr. Brandner can map out a plan to smooth the way forward.
Using IV sedation makes it to where you won't feel a thing during the surgery. Afterward, most patients deal with the discomfort using basic over-the-counter meds for a few days.
Sometimes we can place a "healing denture" immediately. But for the best predictable result, it's usually better to let the initial healing finish before the final placement of the dental prosthesis.
Since this is a medical necessity for a working dental prosthesis, a lot of medical and dental plans do cover it. We’ll review your specific benefits when you come in.
If impacted wisdom teeth or third molars are in the way of your future implants, Dr. Brandner can take them out during the same surgical procedure. It saves you a second recovery period.
Yes, in a good way. Smoothing the bony ridge and prepping for implants helps keep your facial form from looking "collapsed," which happens after a lot of bone loss.
