“Is surgery necessary to treat jaw diseases?”

No! First, go to the dentist and get an X-ray to tell you what the problem is.

If disease is from dental pulp, a root canal filling needed. If deep pockets are so deep, a cleaning is needed (scaling and root planning). Those are most common. If other than that, have a consultation with surgeons.

It depends on the lesion. Infections usually can be treated with antibiotics. Cysts and tumors need surgery.

That’s an impossible question to answer without knowing more specific details — there are too many conditions which can cause jaw pain. To begin with, you need to have an examination and X-rays with a periodontist, to determine whether it is in fact an infection. If it is an infection, the next step is to determine the type and cause of the infection and whether it is chronic or acute. Generally, unless specifically indicated, we don’t start with immediate surgery — we have to first decrease the severity of the infection with antibiotics followed by re-evaluation and possible referrals to other specialists as needed to rule out other possible conditions, which may be the primary source or act as contributory factors to the disease progression, especially in complicated cases. If there is significant improvement, surgery may not be needed; however, if there is insufficient improvement, then surgery may be indicated. Key is not to rush into irreversible and/or over treatment — we need to find the right amount of treatment necessary for you at this given time along with exploring different treatment options since the goal is always to find the least amount of treatment necessary to solve the problem.

John U. Choi, DDS, PhD

You will need to see an oral surgeon for a proper diagnosis and treatment.

If you are having severe jaw pain, you need to see your dentist. You could have impacted wisdom teeth that are infected. Before your jaw started hurting, when was the last time you saw your dentist? Get to your dentist and see what's wrong.

Good morning. This is a hard question to answer without examination. In some cases surgery may be required to treat the cause of your pain. If the pain is not in the joint but in the jaw, it is possible a tooth may be the cause of the pain/infection which would require restoring and treating the tooth in question. I would recommend having your dentist examine the area to determine the cause of the pain/infection. If the pain is coming from the joint itself there are appliances that can be used to assist in relieving the pain. Again, your dentist would need to diagnose the cause. If your pain is in the top jaw (maxilla) and no tooth can be determine to be the cause, it is possible you have a sinus issue and would need to see your primary care physician. Your dentist would be able to instruct you if a visit to your PCP is needed.