Oaklyn Oral Surgeons

Problems with the mouth and jaw can be very painful, interfering with a person’s ability to eat, talk, rest, and of course, impacting confidence and the way the person interacts with others.

No one wants to get surgery, and the idea of a procedure in the mouth or jaw is never a welcome one. However, when more conservative methods are not effective, the dentist will likely refer the person to an oral surgeon.

Luckily for residents in Oaklyn and the surrounding areas, there is a practice close to home with surgeons that offer more than 60 years of experience dealing with mouth and jaw problems. 

The team at Lanzi Burke Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons, with glowing reviews from patients going back for decades, and an ongoing stint as the oral surgeons of the Philadelphia Flyers National Hockey League (NHL) team for over 25 years, has established experience in this field. 

Procedures We Offer

Some of the problems that the surgical team at Lanzi Burke treat include the following:

Jaw surgery. Also called orthognathic surgery, this is done to correct problems from an irregular bite people may have had since birth, or if their jaw was damaged in an accident. An irregular bite or damaged jaw impacts the way a person chews and smiles, and it damages teeth. It also can impact the way a person speaks and how they feel about their appearance. Lanzi Burke oral surgeon Dr. Jonathan Burke underwent this type of surgery himself for a bite problem as a young man.

Dental implants.  People lose teeth in accidents or have teeth that fail and then need to be removed. This impacts not only the way they chew, but also the food they can eat, the foods they will choose to eat, and the way they feel about themselves. All these issues also impact their confidence and their social interactions. 

Thankfully, technology has offered a way to address this problem that offers a secure and permanent solution that works as well as regular teeth and looks like the person’s own teeth. Dental implants offer patients replacement teeth that are kept secure to the mouth via titanium screws, then heal with the bone tissue.

Because technological advances have enabled a temporary solution for those needing replacement teeth that stays secure and works as well as the permanent dental implants, the oral surgeons at Lanzi Burke offer a procedure called Teeth in a Day.

Sleep apnea surgery. This is often made clear first to the loved ones of the person with sleep apnea, and that is because people with sleep apnea often snore loudly. People with sleep apnea are breathing irregularly while asleep and often not breathing for short periods. This is a serious problem, and unfortunately, it can be a deadly one. It is also treatable. 

The American Sleep Apnea Association estimates that approximately 38,000 Americans die each year of heart disease with sleep apnea as a complicating factor, and it is estimated that about one in five adults have sleep apnea to some degree.

TMJ surgery.  The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is one of the strongest joints in the body, and it acts as a hinge for the jaw. It allows people to eat, talk, and swallow without pain. 

However, when the joint becomes diseased or damaged, mouth movement becomes painful. TMJ pain can be caused by teeth grinding, a problem that, like sleep apnea, many people have in their sleep and causes their mouth to hurt. This is called bruxism.

Often, bruxism can be addressed by a mouth guard, which is often enough to stop the problem, but sometimes, TMJ surgery will be needed to correct the grinding.

This powerful joint can also become damaged from structural problems in the jaw or diseases. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) will provide the surgeon with the needed information to determine what area is damaged and what can be done to address it.

Types of TMJ surgery include the following: 

• Arthrocentesis. This process involves injecting fluid into the joint to wash it out and reduce inflammation, with the goal of reducing the pressure that made the joint stiff and painful. After undergoing arthrocentesis, the person suffering from TMJ pain should regain more range of motion.
• Arthroscopy. Creating a small hole or a few small holes in the skin above the joint, or arthroscopy, is one type of TMJ surgery. This procedure allows for repair of the joint in many ways, including scar tissue removal, joint reshaping, medication injection, and pain or swelling relief. Recovery time for arthroscopy patients is typically about a week, and it is less invasive than open-joint surgery.
• Open-joint surgery. Sometimes TMJ is severe enough that it requires this type of surgery. It involves an incision a few inches long over the joint. The surgeon can then operate on the joint, so excess tissue and bony growths can be removed. This type of surgery also enables a doctor to perform a discectomy. The doctor can repair or position the soft cartilage disk that acts as a cushion between the bones of the joint to allow for smooth movement. Sometimes the disk is damaged, and this procedure can help. The surgeon may replace it with an artificial disk or with the patient’s own tissue.

Wisdom tooth removal. These teeth present themselves in adolescence or early adulthood. Although many people are concerned about wisdom tooth removal because it is an oral surgery procedure, wisdom teeth can overcrowd the mouth and create cysts and gum disease. 

It is often necessary to remove wisdom teeth. Finding an experienced oral surgeon to do the job will make the patient and the patient’s family more comfortable. 

Craniofacial implants. Disease, trauma, burns, accidents, and sometimes a congenital defect can disfigure a person’s face. The surgical team at Lanzi Burke offers facial prosthesis procedures that allow patients to have a lifelike replacement for facial features that will remain firmly in place.

This process for craniofacial implants starts with titanium fixtures or screws placed into the bone near the impacted area, offering a permanent and stable method for the prosthesis to stay attached. 

What to Expect at the First Visit

To book an appointment at Lanzi Burke Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons, first, complete the online Patient Registration Form. After the form is completed, the office will be in contact to schedule an appointment.

From that first visit, patients should expect:

• An initial consult including a mouth examination focusing on the problem area.
• A review of the patient’s medical history and any medicines that the patient is currently taking.
• Patients should expect to provide:

• Copies of medical and insurance cards
• Photo identification such as a driver’s license, school identification card, or passport.
• Referral from the dentist 
• Insurance referral
• Recent X-rays 

What to Do if Surgery Is Needed

To ensure the most positive outcome from the surgery, there are a few steps patients can take before the surgery date:

• Patients should talk to their physician about continuing any prescription medications before the surgery date and when it is OK to resume after surgery is complete.
• No food or drink for eight hours before surgery.
• No tobacco 12 hours prior to surgery. Patients are urged to quit smoking. 
• Come to surgery with a friend or relative who can stay during the procedure and drive home afterward. People who have received anesthesia should not drive for at least a day following the procedure.
• Wear loose-fitting clothes for surgery appointments. Patients should be able to roll up their sleeves past the elbow.
• Remove contact lenses, jewelry, and dentures before surgery.

Oaklyn Oral Surgeons at Lanzi Burke Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons Offer a Variety of Surgical Treatments

If you need oral surgery, reach out to the Oaklyn oral surgeons at Lanzi Burke Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons. Our team offers procedures to address a variety of issues with the mouth. We can correct your problem and have you smiling brightly again. Call us today at 856-582-4222 or contact us online to make an appointment or schedule a consultation. With offices in Washington Township, Haddonfield, and Woolwich Township, New Jersey, we are dedicated to helping patients throughout South Jersey.