Information Leaflets

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The following information provided by the British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (BAOMS) was prepared for patients seeking more information on diseases and conditions.

Conditions & Procedures

GENIOPLASTY

The profile of your chin needs correction because the bones of your face and jaws are out of balance with each other. Surgery to change position of the chin is called genioplasty. The surgery will take place under a general anaesthetic, ie: you are going to be put to sleep

SUTURING OF FACIAL LACERATIONS

You have a cut on your face which needs to be stitched. The doctor who has examined you has already decided that it is too big to be glued or taped. The treatment that is about to take place involves a general anaesthetic, ie: you are about to be put

HIP GRAFT

One of the easiest ways of filling in a hole in a jaw bone is to use bone from the hip. A “hip graft” involves collecting bone from the pelvis above the hip joint. You can usually feel the area of bone that will be used since it forms a

SIALOGRAM

A sialogram is a dye investigation of a salivary gland. It is carried out to look in detail at the larger salivary glands, namely the parotid or submandibular glands. These glands drain saliva into your mouth through small tubes (ducts). The parotid duct opens on the inside of the cheek

INSERTION OF INTRAORAL IMPLANT

An implant is a false metal root screwed into the jawbone. Implants form anchors for a crown, bridge or denture attachments.

RADIAL FOREARM FREE FLAP

A radial forearm free flap is one way of filling a hole which is left when a cancer has been removed. It is one of the most common ways of replacing tissue in the head and neck, particularly after mouth cancers have been removed. It can be used to replace

JAW JOINT PROBLEMS

The temporomandibular joint (jaw joint) is located in front of the ear where the skull and the lower jaw meet. The joint allows the lower jaw (mandible) to move and function. The joint itself is made up of two bones that are separated by a disc of cartilage. Ligaments and

SUBLINGUAL SALIVARY GLAND

The sublingual gland is a salivary gland about the size of an almond that lies underneath the tongue in the floor of your mouth. Saliva drains from it through a number of small tubes that open on the inside of the mouth underneath the tongue. The most common reason for

ARTHROSCOPY OF THE JAW JOINT

Arthroscopy is a form of keyhole surgery in which a small telescope is inserted into a joint. This allows the inside of the joint to be examined in great detail. It can diagnose as well as treat problems within the jaw joint.

LASER EXCISION OF MOUTH LESION

You have an area inside your mouth that requires removal and the surgeon that has seen you has decided that using a laser would be best for you. A laser has many advantages over other types of surgery. It tends to produce less bleeding, swelling and pain.

PAROTID SALIVARY GLAND

The parotid gland is a salivary gland that lies immediately in front of the ear. Saliva drains from it through a tube that opens on the inside of the cheek next to the upper back teeth. The parotid gland is most commonly operated on to remove a lump.

BURNING MOUTH SYNDROME

Burning mouth syndrome is a name given to discomfort or pain in the mouth. It often affects the tongue, lips and cheeks but other parts of the skin lining inside the mouth can also feel uncomfortable. Most people with the condition complain of a burning or scalded feeling. Burning mouth

LICHEN PLANUS

Lichen planus is an inflammatory condition that can affect the lining of the mouth as well as the skin. The cause is not fully understood. It is common and affects up to 2% of the population. Lichen planus is most frequent in middle age and women are affected slightly more

WISDOM TEETH

The wisdom tooth (or third molar) is usually the last tooth to erupt into the mouth anytime after about 16 years of age. Frequently there is not enough room to accommodate wisdom teeth and as such they do not come into the mouth normally. When this happens, the wisdom teeth

BLEPHAROPLASTY

The skin tends to lose its elasticity with age. In the eyelids this results in excess skin which forms folds in the upper lids and deepening creases in the lower lids. There may also be a loosening of the muscles in the lower eyelid that allows fat from the eye

MANDIBULAR (LOWER JAW) OSTEOTOMY

It has not been possible to correct your teeth and how they bite together with orthodontics alone. This is because the bones of your face and jaws are out of balance with one another. Surgery will change the relationship between your lower jaw and upper jaw and will correct these

CT SCAN

Computerised tomography (CT) is a method of building up a detailed picture of your body and its organs. It uses X-ray radiation to build up the pictures.

MAXILLARY (UPPER JAW) OSTEOTOMY

It has not been possible to correct your teeth and how they bite together with orthodontics alone. This is because the bones of your face and jaws are out of balance with one another. Surgery will change the relationship of your upper jaw to the lower jaw and will correct

DENTAL INJURY

Dental injuries include damage to the teeth, lips, gums and tongue. They can result from sport or road traffic accidents, as well as fights and falls. The most common injury is a broken or lost tooth.

MRI SCAN

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a method of building up a detailed picture of your body and its organs. Unlike CT (computerised tomography) it does not use X-ray radiation but instead magnetic fields are used to build up the pictures.

DCIA FREE FLAP

A DCIA free flap is one way of filling a bony hole in either the upper or lower jaw. It is one of the common ways of replacing bone that has been removed for cancer treatment.

ORAL CANCER

You have recently been diagnosed as suffering from oral cancer. As part of the preparation for deciding which treatment is best for you, your doctors will “stage” your cancer. This leaflet tells you what is involved in that staging process and why it is important for your care.

FACIAL SKIN LESION

You have a lesion on the skin of your face that requires removal. It will already have been discussed with you that this is the best form of treatment rather than using creams, lotions or freezing the area. The removal involves a local anaesthetic, ie: you are going to be

NECK DISSECTION

A neck dissection is an operation to remove lymph nodes from the neck on one or both sides.

FIBULAR FREE FLAP

A fibular free flap is one way of filling a bony hole in either the upper or lower jaw. It is one of the common ways of replacing bone that has been removed for cancer treatment.

OPEN JAW JOINT SURGERY

Your surgeon has decided that the best way to sort out the problems you are experiencing from your jaw joint is to perform “open” surgery. Open surgery involves exposing the jaw joint fully by making a cut in front of the ear rather than using keyhole techniques.

FRACTURED CHEEKBONE

Your cheekbone has been broken. The cheekbone forms part of the eye socket, both protecting the eyeball and supporting it from below. It is also linked to the side of the nose and the upper jaw. The number of fractures, where they have occurred and whether they need treatment to

ORAL (MOUTH) BIOPSY

A biopsy is a procedure where a small piece of tissue is removed from an area so that it can be looked at closely under a microscope. The biopsy may aim to remove an area completely (an excision biopsy). This is usually only appropriate for small lumps or swellings. Occasionally

FRACTURED LOWER JAW

Your lower jaw has been broken. The number of fractures, where they have occurred and whether they need treatment to help them heal has already been established by the doctor who examined you. The treatment that is about to take place involves a general anaesthetic, ie: you are going to

PROMINENT EARS (PINNAPLASTY OR OTOPLASTY)

Approximately 1% of the population in the United Kingdom consider their ears to be too prominent. In many cases a family trend can be seen. Most prominent ears lack a normal fold of cartilage, and sometimes one ear is more prominent than the other. Children with prominent ears are sometimes

FRACTURED NOSE

The bones of your nose have been broken. This can produce problems with appearance and breathing. Whether your nose needs to be put back in the right place has already been decided by the doctor who examined you. The treatment that is about to take place involves a general anaesthetic,

RECURRENT ORAL ULCERATION

Recurrent oral ulceration is a term used to describe small mouth ulcers which typically last a few days but come back every few weeks or months. Typically they affect the tongue, lips and cheeks, but any part of the mouth can get ulcers. They are very common, often starting in

FRACTURED UPPER JAW

Your upper jaw has been broken. The number of fractures, where they have occurred and whether they need treatment to help them heal has already been established by the doctor who examined you. The treatment that is about to take place involves a general anaesthetic, ie you are going to

SCAR REVISION

Facial scars can arise from trauma or surgery. Scar revision is designed to improve or disguise the appearance of an existing scar. Scars tend to improve on their own with time and therefore surgery to revise a scar is not usually carried out for at least six months after the

ARTHROCENTESIS (WASH OUT) OF JAW JOINT

The disc of cartilage which lies in your jaw joint has moved out of its normal position between the bones.

APICECTOMY

An infection has occurred at the tip of the root of one of your teeth. Sometimes this does not cause any symptoms, but usually people are aware of discomfort and occasional episodes of swelling, gum boils or bad taste. You may well already have been given a course of antibiotics