Dr. Caroline M. Kacer DMD

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon | Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

6471 N. La Cholla Blvd 101 Tucson AZ, 85741 Show map

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Dr. Caroline Kacer is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon practicing in Tucson, AZ. Dr. Kacer specializes in the treatment of problems related to the face, mouth and jaws. As an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, Dr. Kacer is a unique dental specialist who can provide emergency medicine, perform general surgery and give anesthesia. These medical doctors are the only type of medical care specialist who can administer anesthesia, besides anesthesiologists. Typical procedures performed by Dr. Kacer are tooth extractions, especially wisdom teeth, corrective jaw surgery, cleft palate surgery and reconstructive surgery after an injury. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons can also perform dental work including placing dental implants. These surgeons might also deal with conditions of sleep apnea, oral cancers and more.

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Dr. Caroline M. Kacer DMD

Dr. Caroline M. Kacer DMD's Expert Contributions

My Answers

How long will it take for me to completely recover from jaw surgery?
Every patient is different but generally it takes about 2 weeks for initial healing. You will spend 1-2 nights in the hospital and the swelling gets quite significant. At about 2 weeks you start to accept the new bite, the swelling has subsided, and in my patients the wires holding the teeth together come out. The overall healing takes several months. Post op orthodontic care can take 4-6 months to finish off the bite alignment. READ MORE
How long should a maxillary bone fracture take to heal?
Bones heal well based on a few concepts. If you have a maxillary fracture and the fracture is simple and favorable( meaning when you move it doesn’t pull apart) the bones can heal completely in around 4 months. You can get an initial Band aid type of healing in the first few weeks and children heal way faster than adults. READ MORE
What pain medication is prescribed after a tooth extraction?
In my office I promote the use of NSAIDS as the primary drug of choice for pain. Typically the dose is based on weight is 600mg every 6 hours. I do prescribe a narcotic to take for breakthrough pain in between those NSAID doses. But if you have continued pain greater than 3 days I advise that you call your dentist to check in and make sure you don’t have a complication like a dry socket or infection. READ MORE
How long after jaw surgery will I look normal?
4 months. Just like any major surgery it will take that long for you to adjust to your new bite, face, and the swelling to be completely done. Majority if the swelling takes 2 weeks to subside. READ MORE
Is a dental implant better than a bridge?
95% of the time the answer is YES! There are many factors that would steer me away from choosing a bridge over an implant. 1) Are the teeth on either side virgin? Meaning do they have a crown already there. IF No-Implant. 2) Are either one or both of the supporting teeth have a root canal? IF yes- implant. 3) Do you have significant autoimmune disease, uncontrolled diabetic, or smoker? IF yes- Bridge. Financially the two are similar. Just know that all dental work doesn’t last forever, but will last long based on your health and the care towards it! READ MORE
Can TMJ go away on its own?
Yes!!! Most TMJ disorders are initiated by stress. Stress causes you to clench your teeth together causing havoc on your TM joint. Target patients are females in their teens. Exercise and yoga will help tremendously to decrease or stop your clenching. If clenching has become a habit with or without stress can damage your disc inside the joint. Additional dental modalities may be warranted with your license dentist. Other causes of clenching include prescription drugs and obstructive sleep apnea. READ MORE
Is a dental cyst serious?
Cysts inside of bone function by growing and causing pressure on the bone. Pressure on the bone causes necrosis( bone death)allowing for the cyst to expand into that space a grow more. Think of filling up a water balloon. Cysts generally grow slow. This is why a lot of patients do not feel pain, however, it eats up bone in its way and can cause serious damage that may not be repairable. Regardless, the cyst will need to be removed at some point in time. Preferably before it destroys too much. READ MORE
Is TMJ surgery painful?
It depends on the surgery. I’m typically very conservative with my approach in handling TMJD patients. If you have gone through all the conservative measures including home and health improvement with activities that lower your stress levels and there is an anatomical problem that can be corrected with surgery then those surgeries have different levels of post operative pain. READ MORE
What is a more painful bone graft or implant?
It depends on the bone graft. But generally the bone graft or extraction typically is more uncomfortable than the implant placement. Not sure if you are extracting the tooth and then placing the implant or having some sort of cortical bone graft. Either way if you can take ibuprofen then I would suggest 600mg every 6 hours for the first 24 hours and you can take a narcotic prescribed by your doctor in between those doses as needed. READ MORE
Are you sedated for oral cyst surgery?
It depends on the size of cyst, location, anxiety presence of the patient, etc. You can have the procedure done locally, most of mine are sedated. READ MORE
Do you need a CT scan before a bone graft surgery?
Not necessarily. If it’s completely evident that you have no bone in the area where an implant is to be placed I do not take a CT, unless it’s going to help me with a decision on how to perform the surgery. I usually wait until my graft is healed and then perform the CT scan. This will allow me to figure out what size implant to place. READ MORE
How long is the hospital stay after jaw surgery?
The hospital stay can vary from patient to patient 1-2 days in the hospital depending on the type of surgery performed. Take at least 2 weeks off from work. READ MORE