At Oral Surgeons of Indiana, we believe that an informed patient is a confident patient. Whether you're preparing for wisdom teeth removal, exploring dental implants, or trying to understand what to expect from your first oral surgery consultation - this blog is here to help.
What You'll Find Here
Our team of board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeons will cover topics including:
- Procedure guides - What happens before, during, and after common oral surgeries
- Recovery tips - How to heal faster and more comfortably
- Patient education - Answers to the questions we hear most often in our clinic
- When to seek care - Signs that something needs prompt attention
Who We Are
Oral Surgeons of Indiana was founded in 1998 by Dr. Denise Flanagan, DDS - the first female graduate of the Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Residency Program at the Indiana University Medical Center. Our team of board-certified surgeons has served Indianapolis-area patients since 1998.
We are located at 8240 Naab Road, Suite 355, Indianapolis, IN 46260. You can reach us at (317) 876-1095.
Why We Started This Blog
In our consultation rooms, we noticed that patients tend to ask the same thoughtful questions again and again. How long will recovery take? Will I be put to sleep? Do I really need to replace a missing tooth? How much will all of this cost? These are reasonable questions, and the answers are often more reassuring than what people find through a quick internet search.
The problem is that a lot of dental and surgical information online is either oversimplified, written to sell a specific product, or simply inaccurate. We wanted a place where patients in the Indianapolis area could get clear, honest answers from the surgeons who actually perform these procedures every day. That is what this blog is for.
Topics We Cover in Depth
Oral and maxillofacial surgery covers a wide range of procedures, and we plan to write about all of them in plain language. Some of the areas you can expect to read about include:
- Wisdom teeth removal - When extraction is recommended, what the surgery involves, and how to recover comfortably
- Dental implants - How implants replace missing teeth, who is a candidate, and what to expect from the process
- Bone grafting - How we rebuild bone so that more patients can qualify for implants
- IV sedation and anesthesia - Your options for staying comfortable during surgery and what each one feels like
- Recovery and aftercare - Practical, day-by-day guidance for healing well after any procedure
We will also tackle the practical side of care, including insurance, financing, and how to prepare for your first visit as a new patient.
Our Approach to Patient Care
Surgery of any kind can feel intimidating, and we never lose sight of that. Our team takes the time to explain what is happening, why it is recommended, and what your alternatives are. We use advanced cone beam CT imaging so that our treatment plans are based on a precise, three-dimensional picture of your anatomy rather than guesswork. When sedation is appropriate, it is administered directly by your board-certified surgeon, with careful monitoring throughout.
Above all, we want you to feel like a partner in your own care. A confident, well-informed patient tends to have a smoother procedure, a calmer recovery, and a better overall experience. You can learn more about the people behind our practice on our team page.
Serving Central Indiana
While our office sits on the north side of Indianapolis, we are proud to care for patients from across the region, including Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, Zionsville, Lebanon, and Greenwood. Many of our patients are referred by general dentists throughout Central Indiana who trust us with their most complex cases, and we work closely with those dentists to coordinate seamless care from referral through recovery.
If there is a topic you would like us to cover, or a question you wish someone had answered before your procedure, we want to hear it. Patient questions are the heart of everything we publish here. You can always contact us to share feedback or to ask about scheduling a consultation.
What Makes an Oral Surgeon Different
Many people are not sure how an oral and maxillofacial surgeon differs from a general dentist. After dental school, oral surgeons complete several additional years of hospital-based surgical residency training, where they learn to manage anesthesia, complex extractions, dental implant surgery, corrective jaw procedures, facial trauma, and the diagnosis of oral pathology. That training is why dentists refer their most involved cases to a specialist rather than handling them in a general office.
What this means for you is depth of experience. A procedure that might be performed only occasionally in a general practice is something our surgeons do routinely. That familiarity translates into shorter appointments, fewer surprises, and a recovery plan built on thousands of similar cases. As you read through the articles here, you will see that theme again and again: experience and careful planning make a measurable difference in your comfort and your results.
We look forward to helping you on your oral health journey.