Blog Archive
If wisdom teeth are so wise, why do they cause so many problems? Usually, it’s because these back molars are the last teeth to emerge, and often there’s just not enough room for them to erupt normally. As a result, a lot of wisdom teeth get stuck under neighboring teeth,...
The use of dental anesthesia has revolutionized oral health care, helping patients receive complex treatment without worrying about pain. It’s also been a game-changer for patients who suffer from dental anxiety, a serious phobia that affects more than a third of Americans. Today’s dental anesthesia uses time-tested techniques and advanced...
If your child has a cleft lip, it’s natural for them to feel isolated and alone. But cleft issues are surprisingly common, affecting as many as one out of every 1,600 births, according to the CDC. Of course, just because cleft problems aren’t unusual doesn’t make it any easier for...
Millions of people worldwide suffer facial fractures every year due to falls, car accidents, sports injuries, and other traumatic incidents. Even a minor facial injury can cause significant complications that can take a toll on your long-term health and wellness. Fortunately, Brandon Kang, DDS, at Pacific Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery...
As many as 12 million Americans suffer from temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, a collection of more than two dozen medical issues that interfere with the way your jaw joints work. Without proper treatment, TMJ issues can cause permanent joint damage and lead to chronic headaches, facial pain, and bite malfunction....
Cleft defects are among the most common birth defects. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), about 1 out of every 1700 babies is born with a cleft palate, and about 1 out of every 1600 is born with both a cleft palate and a cleft lip. While the...
Having a mouthful of healthy teeth is important for your smile and confidence; it’s also important for your nutrition, speech, and overall health. If you’re one of the 36 million Americans missing all of their natural teeth, you can wind up with severe difficulties that can take a toll on your physical...
Millions of Americans are missing at least one tooth, putting them at risk of complications like bite problems, jaw pain, chronic headaches, and more tooth loss in the future. In fact, one recent study found that tooth loss appears to be linked with dementia and that replacing missing teeth seems to reverse that...
Nose fractures are common, accounting for nearly 60% of all facial fractures. While they can be painful, they also tend to heal well — and a lot faster than many people realize. The important thing is to follow your doctor’s instructions during your recovery. Brandon Kang, DDS, and our team at Pacific Oral...
A cleft lip is a lot more common than most people think. In fact, according to the CDC, about 1 in every 2800 newborns has a cleft lip and around 1 in every 1600 babies is born with both a cleft lip and cleft palate. Although these issues aren’t uncommon,...
More than a quarter of adults have untreated tooth decay, and about half have symptoms of gum disease. More than half of kids have cavities too. Prompt treatment of decay, infections, and other problems is important for preventing more serious issues, and that means you need to know what symptoms to look...
Soft tissue grafting uses special tools and techniques to transplant soft tissue from one area of your mouth to another. Offering a solution for multiple oral health concerns, soft tissue grafting is a very versatile treatment — yet a lot of people aren’t aware of its benefits. Pacific Oral &...
Also called sedation dentistry, dental anesthesia plays a pivotal role in managing pain and alleviating dental anxiety. Yet despite its benefits, dental anesthesia is surrounded by myths and misconceptions that wind up keeping patients from using it or understanding how it works. At Pacific Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Center, Brandon Kang, DDS,...
Having a tooth pulled isn’t necessarily something you look forward to, but sometimes, an extraction is necessary to save other teeth, eliminate a dangerous infection, improve your bite mechanics, or protect your oral health in other ways. While most extractions are simple, other extractions require surgery to remove the tooth...
When it comes to impacted teeth, most people think about wisdom teeth. And it’s true, located way in the back of your mouth where there’s not much room, these teeth do sometimes get stuck under neighboring teeth. But your canine teeth can become impacted as well. In fact, canines are...
About 20% of people develop mouth sores or ulcers at some point during their lifetimes, often following an illness or a period of stress. But for some, ulcers happen regularly, causing painful symptoms that can interfere with eating and speaking. At Pacific Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Center, Brandon Kang, DDS,...
Every year, more than two million missing teeth are replaced by dental implants, a popular, durable alternative to traditional dentures. Unlike dentures and bridges that rest on top of your gums, dental implants are embedded into your jawbone, making them extremely secure. For dental implants to be stable and functional,...
Considering you need to use your jaws to talk, chew, and swallow, it’s not surprising that even a little jaw discomfort can cause a lot of disruption in your life. Getting to the root of your jaw pain is the first step in treatment, and that means finding a dentist...
Every year in the United States, more than two million dental implant procedures are performed, helping women and men with missing teeth restore their smiles and their bite function. Implants rely on your natural jawbone to provide adequate support and security — so what happens if your jawbone is too thin to...
After wisdom tooth extraction, most of us don’t really think about the healing process that’s taking place. We’re too focused on our overall recovery and managing the discomfort that can occur. But healing after wisdom tooth extraction is important — not just for your overall oral health, but for preventing...
Jaw fractures typically happen as the result of significant facial trauma, like a car accident, a serious sports accident, a fall, or even a fight. Also called a mandibular fracture, a jaw fracture typically refers to a break in your lower jaw (the mandible) while fractures to your upper jaw...
As many as 80% of adults in the United States have some form of dental anxiety, ranging from relatively mild to severe. That means millions of people are worried about seeing their dentist — and for many, that means they’re almost certainly avoiding care that can keep their teeth and gums healthy....
Cleft lip and cleft palate can cause considerable problems for children born with them — and both conditions are more common than you may realize. The CDC estimates that roughly 1 out of every 1600 babies is born with both conditions, 1 in 1700 is born with just cleft palate, and 1...
Oral diseases include many diseases that affect teeth, gums, and other parts of your mouth or oral cavity, and globally, they’re a major health concern. As a leading oral and maxillofacial surgeon in Oakland and San Francisco, California, Brandon Kang, DDS, is skilled in oral pathology techniques that enable him to diagnose and manage...
Mention an impacted tooth, and most people immediately think of wisdom teeth. For sure, those third molars do frequently become impacted, wedged beneath your neighboring molars. But impaction affects other teeth too, like your pointy canines, teeth that are surprisingly prone to impaction. A leading oral surgeon in San Francisco and Oakland, California, Brandon Kang,...
Nearly 8 million people suffer facial trauma worldwide on an annual basis, many from car accidents, falls, sports injuries, and assault crimes. Facial injuries can have long-lasting impacts, but thankfully, advances in treatment enable patients to recover and regain function much more quickly, in addition to preserving facial aesthetics. At...
Oral cancer may not get as much news coverage or media attention as other types of cancer, but it can still be deadly. In fact, about 54,000 Americans will be diagnosed with mouth and throat cancers this year, and nearly 10,000 people will die from these cancers — about one...
It’s true, dentists spend a lot of time and effort helping their patients prevent tooth loss. But sometimes, having a tooth pulled is the best way to treat a serious oral health issue. While the thought of having a tooth extracted may not thrill you, there are plenty of things...
Even though we don’t hear about broken jaws as often as we hear about broken arms and legs, jaw fractures are actually surprisingly common. In fact, they’re the 10th most common type of break, occurring most often in men and in people in their 20s. At Pacific Oral & Maxillofacial...
Every year in the United States, more than 6,000 babies are born with facial clefts, including cleft palate, cleft lip, or both. Although cleft defects are a relatively common type of birth defect, they’re still surrounded by a lot of misinformation that could potentially have an effect on their treatment....
Every year, scores of teens and young adults (and some older adults) have their wisdom teeth removed. For some, the reasons for extraction are obvious — for others, not so much. If you still have your wisdom teeth, you might be wondering if it’s time to think about having them...
For many dental procedures, a shot of local anesthetic is all that’s needed to prevent discomfort. But there are some procedures — including many types of oral surgery — when deeper anesthesia is a better choice. Brandon Kang, DDS, and the team at Pacific Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Center in...
Fact: Pretty much no one actually looks forward to having a tooth pulled. Also fact: Sometimes an extraction is the best solution for relieving painful symptoms and improving your overall oral health. Brandon Kang, DDS, and our team at Pacific Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Center in Oakland and San Francisco,...
Pain in your jaw, frequent headaches when you wake, and clicking or sticking sensations when you chew or yawn are all signs of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder, a relatively common problem that causes inflammation inside your jaw joints. For some people, TMJ disorder symptoms can be mild and controlled with...
Bone grafting plays a pivotal role in dental implant surgery for patients whose jawbone is too weak or too thin to adequately support an implant. But even though grafts are becoming more common, plenty of dental patients don’t know why or how grafts are used. Brandon Kang, DDS, and the...
Missing one tooth can be upsetting. But missing an entire arch — either all your upper teeth or all your lower teeth — can alter the way you look, the way you eat, and the way you feel about yourself. A surprising 40 million Americans are missing all their teeth...
If you’re one of the 22 million Americans suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), you know the effects it can have on your everyday routines. Nights of interrupted sleep lead to days of fatigue, moodiness, and problems focusing at work, at school, and even in your social life. Without proper...
Impaction occurs when a tooth gets “stuck” under the gum — typically, blocked by another tooth. It’s a common reason for wisdom tooth extraction, but the third molars aren’t the only teeth that get impacted. Canine tooth impaction is also fairly common, occurring in about 2%-3.6% of people. While your...
Wisdom teeth removal can provide significant benefits for many patients, which is why it’s commonly recommended for those whose third molars have recently emerged. During young adulthood, the wisdom teeth roots tend to be less developed, making removal a more straightforward procedure. While wisdom teeth extraction is common, the question...
Each year in the United States, more than 6,000 babies are born with cleft palate, cleft lip, or both. Cleft palate and cleft lip are among the most common congenital defects, and the good news is, both issues can be corrected with cleft surgery. Pacific Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Center...
Nobody really wants to lose a natural tooth, but sometimes extractions are necessary to solve oral health problems or prevent problems from occurring. Thanks to advances in extraction methods, having a tooth pulled is a straightforward process. But sometimes, a complication called dry socket can occur after an extraction. Dry...
Every year, more than a half million people opt for dental implants to replace one or more missing teeth, according to data from the American Academy of Implant Dentistry. That’s in addition to the millions of men and women who’ve already had implant surgery. Dental implants are popular for lots...
Having a tooth pulled probably isn’t anyone’s idea of a good time. But sometimes extraction is the best option for preventing serious problems and helping you enjoy better oral health moving forward. If you have a tooth that’s impacted or one that’s been badly damaged by decay or trauma, for...
If you’re missing one or more teeth, you’ve probably read a lot about dental implants as an alternative to traditional dentures and bridges. Implants are extremely popular among adults missing one or more teeth — and they’re growing more popular every year. In fact, according to the American Academy of...
Millions of people get their wisdom teeth removed every year. In fact, wisdom teeth removal is so common, extractions have almost become a sort of rite of passage for people in their late teens and early 20s. Brandon Kang, DDS, and Matt Chroust, DDS, MD, at Pacific Oral & Maxillofacial...
No matter what type of surgery you’re having, no doubt you’re feeling a bit nervous and anxious. This may be especially true for jaw surgery, since it may affect how and what you eat. But knowing what to expect may help calm some of your nerves. At Pacific Oral &...