Beyond 32 Teeth: Dr. Mohan Reghu’s Perspective on Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (Part-1)
Dr. Mohan Reghu, an aspiring Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon from Chennai, has completed his Bachelor's in Dental Surgery from Rajas Dental College and Hospital, Tirunelveli. He is currently practicing in Chennai. With an experience of 3 years as a general dentist he shows an examplory interest over oral surgery arena. His interest have made him explore more on oral and maxillofacial surgery and aspire to get an MDS in the same.
Joining him in this conversation is Dr. Jude Bencia G from MedBound Times. In this Q&A session, Dr. Mohan shares valuable insights on the scopes available in dentistry beyond 32 teeth.
Dr. Jude Bencia G: Could you introduce yourself and share your professional background with the readers?
Dr. Mohan Reghu: Hi, I am Dr. Mohan Reghu from Chennai. I’m currently 25 years old. I completed my undergraduate degree in Dental Surgery from Rajas Dental College and Hospital, Tirunelveli, and I’m currently preparing for the NEET MDS entrance examination to pursue my dream residency—Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. You can find me pondering one of these three things at any given time—cars, the cosmos, and oral surgery.
Dr . Jude Bencia G: Can you explain what are different fields in dentistry and what's your favorite over them?
Dr . Mohan Reghu: Sure. Dentistry has 9 different specialities in total. It begins with Oral Medicine and Radiology, the branch concerned with diagnoses of various conditions of the mouth, head and neck regions; Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology and Microbiology dealing with the histopathological analyses of those conditions; Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, concerned with restoration of the teeth, root canal treatment and esthetics; Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery concerned with the surgical treatment of the pathologies of the mouth, head and neck region; Prosthodontics and Crown and Bridge concerned with prosthetic rehabilitation of the mouth and maxillofacial region; Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry dealing with dentistry for children between 0-13 years old; Periodontics and Implantology dealing with the conditions of the gingiva and the alveolar bone; Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics focusing on alignment of teeth and jaws and guidance of facial growth and development during growth; and at last Public Health Dentistry concerned with preventing and controlling dental diseases and promoting oral health on a community level rather than on an individual level.
All these specialties play an important role in the field of dentistry, enabling people to address the conditions of their oral cavity and head and neck region thus being directly responsible for improving their quality of life.
Of all these specialties, the one that has always captured my awe and attention is Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Surgery as a concept itself has always fascinated me since I was a kid and once I got into dentistry and discovered about this specialty there were no second thoughts about what was going to be my favourite one.
Dr. Jude Bencia G: What does Maxillofacial Surgery entail?
Dr. Mohan Reghu: Maxillofacial Surgery is the surgical branch of dentistry that requires a person qualified in it to be able to diagnose and surgically treat the defects and pathologies that can arise and occur in the structures of the oral region, the face, and the jaw primarily; with it branching further into “Craniofacial Surgery” which focuses more on the surgical treatment of the cranial and facial skeleton.
Dr. Jude Bencia G: There is a common misconception that oral surgery is limited to tooth extraction. What’s your take on this?
Dr. Mohan Reghu: Haha, I was expecting this question! Many people believe oral surgeons only extract teeth. In reality, procedures like tooth extractions, impaction surgeries, and implant placements—though commonly associated with oral surgeons—are just one aspect of the field. Maxillofacial Surgery extends beyond that to include managing pathologies, trauma, orthognathic corrections, and even some aesthetic procedures, often working alongside other medical specialists in the operating theatre.
Dr. Jude Bencia G: Can you make people aware of the indications needed for an oral surgery?
Dr. Mohan Reghu: Any tooth extraction that has a difficult factor to it which can complicate the patient’s condition, surgical removal of impacted teeth, placing of implants for prosthetic rehabilitation, and preparing the toothless jaws to receive a denture are some procedures done on a clinical level; Fixing fractures of the bones of the face or jaw, teeth misalignment which needs surgical correction along with orthodontic treatment, cleft lip, and palate repair, surgical removal of cysts of tumors of the maxillofacial region and even aiding in surgical management of cancers occurring in the mouth and head and neck region are some invasive treatment done on a hospital-based/ OT level.
Dr. Jude Bencia G: So, is oral surgery only for severe cases?
Dr. Mohan Reghu: Definitely not! Even extracting a loose tooth is considered oral surgery. Dentists are trained in basic oral surgery during their undergraduate studies, and general dentists perform oral surgery daily in clinical practice. However, some cases require specialized expertise, which is when an oral surgeon steps in—even for seemingly simple cases.
Dr. Jude Bencia G: Many people fear surgeries due to a lack of awareness about protocols and procedures. Can you explain the pre-operative protocols?
Dr. Mohan Reghu: Patients undergoing extractions might need a prophylactic course of antibiotics to prevent infections. Those with comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, or those on blood thinners may require medical clearance from their physician. Apart from this, proper history-taking, clinical examinations, and radiographs are essential steps to ensure an accurate diagnosis before proceeding with surgery.
Dr. Jude Bencia G: Can oral surgery be performed on patients with systemic conditions?
Dr. Mohan Reghu: When discussing contraindications for oral surgery, we can categorize them into two types: Absolute contraindications and Relative contraindications.
Absolute contraindications include conditions such as uncontrolled diabetes, leukemia, renal failure, cirrhosis of the liver, and cardiac failure. In these cases, the surgeon will not proceed with any surgical procedure.
Relative contraindications involve conditions like high blood pressure, controlled diabetes, and pregnancy.
As I mentioned earlier, any patient presenting with a systemic disease such as high blood pressure or diabetes will be referred to their physician for medical clearance. It is also important to take note of their medication history and their adherence to the prescribed treatment regimen. There are specific parameters concerning blood pressure and blood sugar levels within which we can safely perform surgery on the patient.
Dr. Jude Bencia G: People often perceive toothaches as extremely painful and dental procedures as daunting. Is oral surgery always painful?
Dr. Mohan Reghu: Though oral surgery may seem painful—with needles, instruments grasping the jawbone, and blood—it is always ensured to be as painless as possible. Minor procedures like extractions and impactions involve highly effective nerve block techniques using local anesthesia, making the procedure completely painless. Major surgeries are performed under general anesthesia in an operation theatre with an anesthesiologist monitoring the patient, eliminating pain during the procedure.
Dr. Jude Bencia G: Since surgeries involve anesthesia, does oral surgery always require general anesthesia?
Dr. Mohan Reghu: Not necessarily. As I mentioned earlier, most oral surgeries are comfortably performed under local anesthesia. General anesthesia is only required for extensive or highly invasive procedures. Additionally, modern dentistry offers “conscious sedation,” where highly anxious patients can be sedated using nitrous oxide in the dental chair without the need for full general anesthesia.
Dr. Jude Bencia G: Does recovery take a long time?
Dr. Mohan Reghu: Not at all! If patients follow post-operative instructions meticulously and take prescribed medications properly, recovery is usually complete within a few days to weeks, depending on the procedure.
Stay tuned for Part - 2 of the interview!