Oral Surgery in Elk Grove, CA

Oral Surgery for Elk Grove Families

Elk Grove is a family town. Our Elk Grove office sees a lot of teenagers approaching wisdom tooth age, a lot of parents managing two or three sets of dental needs at once, and a lot of grandparents who have been living with a missing tooth for years because replacing it meant starting over at a surgical office across town.

Thrive Dental Elk Grove now handles oral and maxillofacial surgery directly. One practice, one set of records, one treatment plan that runs from diagnosis through the final restoration.

Meet the Surgeon

Dr. Roger K. Lau, DDS completed his dental degree at the UCLA School of Dentistry, then dual oral and maxillofacial surgery internships at Montefiore Medical Center and Mount Sinai Hospital, followed by a four-year residency at Allegheny Health Network in Pittsburgh that included a chief resident year.

Oral and maxillofacial surgery is one of twelve dental specialties recognized by the National Commission on Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards. It requires a dental degree plus a hospital-based surgical residency of four or more years.

Wisdom Teeth and the College Timeline

Third molars usually announce themselves in the late teens. That lands squarely in the middle of high school, and then a departure for college that makes scheduling a surgical recovery genuinely difficult.

The clinical argument for evaluating early is straightforward. Between roughly sixteen and twenty-two, the roots are still developing and the bone is less dense, which generally means a shorter procedure and a faster recovery. Waiting until a wisdom tooth becomes symptomatic often means treating an infection first and operating on a fully formed root in denser bone.

We image, assess the position of each tooth relative to the nerve and sinus, and give you a clear recommendation. Not every wisdom tooth needs to come out. Families in Sheldon, Franklin, and Wilton frequently ask us to time removal to winter or summer break, and we plan around it.

Replacing Missing Teeth

A dental implant is a titanium post placed into the jawbone that functions as an artificial root. The surgical placement determines how the final crown looks, how it bites, and how long it lasts. Position, angle, depth, and available bone all matter, and all of them are decided during surgery.

Having the surgery and the restoration planned inside one practice removes the most common failure point in implant treatment, which is a surgeon and a restorative dentist working from different plans. Here, the implant is placed with the final crown already designed.

Bone Grafting and Ridge Preservation

If a tooth has been missing for a while, the bone that supported it has been shrinking that entire time. Grafting rebuilds enough volume to anchor an implant. A sinus lift addresses the upper back jaw specifically, where the sinus floor limits height. Ridge preservation is a small graft placed at the time of extraction that keeps the socket from collapsing, which often means avoiding a larger graft later.

If you are having a tooth removed and think you might want an implant eventually, raise it before the extraction. That conversation is worth having early.

Surgical Extractions

Not every tooth comes out simply. Teeth fractured below the gum line, badly decayed, or with curved or fused roots require an incision, careful sectioning, and sutures. Done properly, a surgical extraction protects the surrounding bone rather than damaging it, which matters for whatever comes next.

Coordinating With Orthodontic Treatment

Canines and other teeth sometimes fail to erupt on their own. Rather than removing an impacted tooth, an exposure procedure uncovers it and allows a bracket and chain to be attached so orthodontic treatment can guide it into position. We coordinate the timing directly with your orthodontist.

Serving Elk Grove and South Sacramento County

Our office at 9307 Laguna Springs Dr #110 serves Elk Grove, Sheldon, Franklin, Vineyard, Laguna, and Wilton. See our Elk Grove areas we serve page for more on each community.

Schedule an Oral Surgery Consultation in Elk Grove

Your first visit is an evaluation. We review your medical history, examine the area, take imaging, and send you home with a written plan, an anesthesia recommendation, and a cost estimate checked against your benefits before anything is scheduled.

Call (916) 691-1650 or book online.