Setting the standard for excellence in oral surgery, Dr. Wayne J. Saunders is a native of the Lehigh Valley and a graduate of Parkland High School. He started The Center for Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at St. Luke’s more than 15 years ago. Dr. Saunders was previously practicing in New Jersey but decided to start his own practice when his father, also a physician, informed him of the need for oral surgery and trauma care in the Valley. Dr. Saunders began a solo practice, which has now grown immensely, adding multiple locations and doctors to join his team.
Growth of the practice has been clear to see within the recent years. The Center for Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at St. Luke’s, now known as St. Luke’s OMS, has grown to a ten-doctor practice with four locations throughout the Lehigh Valley; it most recently opened an additional office in Stroudsburg. Still the largest practice in the Lehigh Valley area, St. Luke’s OMS continues to be the most innovative by using technology such as the Osseocare Pro and cone beam CT Scanning. St. Luke’s OMS is now also the home of not just the first female oral surgeon in the Lehigh Valley, Dr. Veronica Barreto, but also the second female surgeon, Dr. Assabi Isaac.
In addition to adding progressive surgeons to this group of already-talented doctors, St. Luke’s OMS has extended hours in order to accommodate more patients’ schedules. Starting in 2014, St. Luke’s OMS has kept its doors open from 8 a.m.–8 p.m., as well as select Saturdays. With multiple office locations and an expansion in Monroe County, patients can have the surgeons they trust, where they want and when they want.
At St. Luke’s OMS, the doctors practice a full range of oral and facial procedures, including dental implant surgery; bone grafting; dental extractions, including wisdom tooth removal; TMJ (temporomandibular joint) evaluation and management; in-office IV sedation and general anesthesia; cosmetherapy,including Botox® and JUVÉDERM®; and more. St. Luke’s OMS is among the first in the country to offer in-office cone beam CT scanning. With the help of this advanced technology, the doctors are able to image the entire facial complex in three dimensions. In the case of dental implants, this technology is especially useful in planning complex cases by allowing the surgeons to “virtually” place implants using software prior to the actual procedure.
In addition to in-office procedures, the doctors at St. Luke’s OMS are on staff and take calls for facial trauma needs at St. Luke’s University Health Network, assisting patients after accidents such as motor vehicle accidents, accidental falls, sports injuries, interpersonal violence and work-related injuries. Facial trauma injuries include, but are not limited to, facial lacerations, intra-oral lacerations, avulsed (knocked out) teeth, fractured facial bones (cheek, nose or eye socket) and fractured jaws (upper and lower). The surgeons at St. Luke’s OMS are uniquely trained and qualified to treat all of these injuries.
The St. Luke’s OMS team is proud to offer the fixed denture treatment Concept (All-On-Four Hybrid), providing a full smile in just one day! Patients attain a full-arch permanent denture with as little as four implants on the day of surgery. A patient is able to achieve complete satisfaction by maintaining full speech, gaining perfect aesthetics and self-esteem. St. Luke’s OMS has become the go-to surgical practice for this surgery. Staying true to their mission to offer patients the latest technology and care, St. Luke’s OMS was recently the first practice in the country to complete and offer the Trefoil Hybrid surgery, which allows a patient to attain a completely new smile in an even more efficient way!
St. Luke’s OMS understands that giving back to the community is important. Throughout the year, the practice sponsors over 50 different fundraising initiatives, charities, nonprofits and schools in the area.
St. Luke’s OMS also hosts multiple continuing education programs for general dentists and specialists throughout the area, bringing dental professionals together to learn about new techniques and procedures. Through these initiatives, patients know that when they choose St. Luke’s OMS, they choose their community.
The mission at St. Luke’s OMS is to provide patients with affordable, high quality, state-of-the-art care in a gentle, safe and secure environment. The practice was able to grow and start relationships with local dentists and other specialists by living true to this mission and maintaining a positive reputation. St. Luke’s OMS prides itself on always being available to patients and referring doctors. Along with their professional staff, the doctors are committed to establishing a partnership of good health with ease of access and flexibility for scheduling needs.
For the convenience of patients, St. Luke’s OMS offers appointments at five locations throughout the Lehigh Valley and Monroe County. The offices are located in Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton and Stroudsburg. For more information, or to make an appointment with one of the surgeons at St. Luke’s OMS, please call 610.865.8077 or visit stlukesoms.com.
1521 8th Ave. Suite 101, Bethlehem | 1620 Pond Rd., Allentown3360 Nazareth Rd., Easton | 1419 N. 9th St., Stroudsburg610.865.8077 | stlukesoms.com
