Richard L. Byrd, Jr., DDS

Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon

Dr. Richard L. Byrd, Jr. is an Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon in Washington, DC with special training and skill in treating problems related to the hard and soft tissues of the face, mouth, and jaws (the upper jaw is called the maxilla). As an Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon, Richard L. Byrd, Jr., DDS performs exams, diagnostic tests, then dental surgery. Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery is the specialty of dentistry which includes the diagnosis, surgical and adjunctive treatment of diseases, injuries and defects involving both the functional and aesthetic aspects of the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region. Significant diseases and conditions treated by Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons include erupted wisdom teeth, facial injury, obstructive sleep apnea, head, neck, and oral cancer, cleft lip/palate, cranial deformity, misaligned jaws and teeth, as well as temporomandibular joint disorders. Medical tests, procedures and therapies provided by Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons include dental implant surgery, wisdom teeth management, treatment of facial injury trauma, facial cosmetic surgery, treatment of obstructive sleep apnea, head, neck, and oral cancer treatment, dental and soft tissue surgery, corrective cleft lip/ palate, jaw, and craniofacial surgery.

Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are trained to recognize and treat a wide spectrum of diseases, injuries and defects in the head, neck, face, jaws and the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region. They are also trained to administer anesthesia, and provide care in an office setting. They are trained to treat problems such as the extraction of wisdom teeth, misaligned jaws, tumors and cysts of the jaw and mouth, and to perform dental implant surgery.

Orthodontist and Dentofacial Orthopedist

Dr. Richard L. Byrd, Jr. is an Orthodontist and Dentofacial Orthopedist in Washington, DC with special training and skill in the diagnosis, prevention, interception, and correction of malocclusion and other abnormalities of the developing or mature orofacial structures. As an Orthodontist and Dentofacial Orthopedist, Richard L. Byrd, Jr., DDS performs provides procedures to fix conditions such as dental overbites, underbites, and crowded or misaligned teeth by slowly applying pressure on specific teeth to coax them into place without surgery. Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics is a specialty within the dental profession that detects tooth positioning issues and corrects them. Significant diseases and conditions treated by Orthodontist and Dentofacial Orthopedists include malocclusions, underbites, overbites, oral cavity anomalies. Medical tests, procedures and therapies provided by Orthodontist and Dentofacial Orthopedists include designing and fabricating appliances to realign teeth and jaws to produce and maintain normal function and to improve appearance.

That area of dentistry concerned with the supervision, guidance and correction of the growing or mature dentofacial structures, including those conditions that require movement of teeth or correction of malrelationships and malformations of their related structures and the adjustment of relationships between and among teeth and facial bones by the application of forces and/or the stimulation and redirection of functional forces within the craniofacial complex. Major responsibilities of orthodontic practice include the diagnosis, prevention, interception and treatment of all forms of malocclusion of the teeth and associated alterations in their surrounding structures; the design, application and control of functional and corrective appliances; and the guidance of the dentition and its supporting structures to attain and maintain optimum occlusal relations in physiologic and esthetic harmony among facial and cranial structures.