Maxillofacial surgery - the field of medicine dealing with the surgical treatment of diseases of the oral cavity, the facial part of the head - up to and including the anterior cranial fossa - and the neck. Due to its scope, this specialization is increasingly often referred to as cranio-maxillofacial surgery. It is a subspecialty of dentistry and surgery. It emerged at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries from general surgery. It includes dental surgery, oncology, traumatology and plastic surgery of the facial part of the skull. In most European Union countries, a medical or dental diploma is required to obtain this specialty. In Poland it is one of the three specialties (besides epidemiology and public health) in which both physicians and dentists can study. For physicians with both diplomas there is a separate, shortened specialization program.

The most common maxillofacial surgery procedures include:

• treatment of craniofacial injuries, dressing of both facial bone fractures and facial soft tissue wounds,
• treatment of oral cavity cancers,
• treatment of facial skin cancers,
• treatment of craniofacial malformations together with an orthodontist - orthognathic surgery,
• treatment of inflammatory infiltrations in the face and neck,
• surgical treatment of orbital tumors.

Dental Surgery

Dental surgery - a branch of medicine dealing with surgical treatment of the oral cavity and adjacent areas. It emerged in the second half of the 19th century as a subspecialty of dentistry requiring general surgical preparation. It is one of the two dental specialties (next to orthodontics) acquired in Poland, whose mutual recognition by EU member states was guaranteed in the Accession Treaty.

The range of procedures performed by a dental surgeon, maxillofacial surgeon and ENT surgeon as doctors who deal with surgery in the craniofacial area varies and depends on the surgeon’s skills.

The most commonly performed procedures in dental surgery include:

• extractions (including impacted and unerupted teeth), wisdom teeth extractions,
• uncovering of impacted teeth in the arch,
• plastics of the junction of the oral cavity and the maxillary sinus,
• treatment of abscesses and orofacial fistulas,
• root tip resections, hemisections,
• removal of fibromas, adenomas, mucocellulas, papillomas and other mucosal lesions,
• surgical preparation of the oral cavity for prosthetic treatment,
• cutting the frenulum of the lips and tongue,
• maxillary sinus surgery - including Caldwell-Luc operation and endoscopic procedures,
• treatments in the field of dental implantoprosthetics,
• treatment of benign tumors and some forms of malignant tumors of the oral cavity and lips and cancer-like tumors,
• surgery to remove craniofacial cysts,
• orthopedic therapy for fractures of the teeth, alveolar processes, jaws and mandible,
• pharmacological and surgical treatment of diseases of the salivary glands and temporomandibular joints,
• treatment of craniofacial pain syndromes,
• procedures in the field of periodontal surgery.

Implantology

A branch of dentistry that aims to restore missing teeth with the use of dental implants. A dental implant is usually a titanium screw implanted in the bone, on which a lost tooth is reconstructed in the form of a crown.  

The reconstruction of missing teeth allows to reconstruct not only the lost tooth, but also to obtain aesthetics and proper chewing function.

With implants it is possible to reconstruct single missing teeth as well as complete occlusion in patients who have lost all or almost all their teeth.

Types of implant procedures:

• implantation in the area of a single missing tooth,
• immediate implantation in the aesthetic segment,
• reconstruction of several teeth with bridges based on implants,
• reconstruction of complete edentulousness by means of a full denture based on 2 implants attached to so-called locators,
• complete jaw edentulousness reconstruction with the use of a full denture based on 4 implants attached to so-called locators,
• complete jaw edentulousness reconstruction using a permanent restoration (not removable) based on 4 implants - so called All on 4,
• complete jaw edentulousness reconstruction using permanent restoration (not removable) based on 6 implants - so called All on 6,
• bone regeneration,
• open or closed sinus lift.