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Benefits
of Treatment
Implants
Wisdom Teeth
Temporomandibular Joint Disease
Skin Wrinkles (Rhytids)
Implants
The bone that makes up the upper and lower jaws is stimulated
by the force placed on it through the teeth as we bite and chew.
After the loss of one or more teeth, the force that was placed
on the bone is drastically reduced. The result of this is that
the bone starts to disappear (also known as "resorption"). Even
though the resorption starts to occur immediately, it begins
to become more apparent about 12 months after surgery. Since
the placement of a dental implant depends partly upon a sufficient
amount of bone, any bone loss that occurs before implant placement
may necessitate placement of a bone graft. The graft procedure
may significantly increase the cost of implant placement.
Wisdom Teeth
Third molars, commonly called wisdom teeth, are meant to grow
into the mouth just as the first and second molar teeth do.
Their purpose is to chew food along with the other teeth. When
there is not enough room to erupt into position, the condition
is known as impaction. If these impacted teeth just sat there
and did no harm, there would be no reason to remove them. However,
this is not the case. In the 20 and 30 year old age group, they
can be the cause of a very painful infection. In the 40 year
old age group and older, they can be the source of cysts and
tumors, which can cause loss of the surrounding bone in the
jaws. They can also cause decay and bone loss on the second
molar teeth next to them in later years.
The recommendation of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial
Surgeons is to remove impacted teeth between the ages of 15
and 25. The reason to remove them early is to reduce the number
of post-operative complications that can occur more often in
older patients. As a general rule, the most common occurrence
when wisdom teeth are removed in the mid-teens to mid-twenties
is swelling in the cheeks and tightness of the jaws. After age
25, the number of complications and the chance of having them
are significantly increased.
Temporomandibular Joint Disease
There are many diseases that may involve the Temporomandibular
Joints (Jaw Joints) but there are two of them that predominate.
The first of these is internal derangement, which involves the
cartilage inside of the joint and generally responds to surgical
procedures. The second is myofascial pain, which involves the
muscles of the jaws and generally responds to medication and
non-surgical treatments.
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons are the specialists that can
benefit patients that suffer from internal derangement. The
important consideration in treating pain from internal derangement
is that if the pain is not treated early, it becomes what is
known as chronic pain, or pain that is present for a long period
of time. The longer that pain is present, the more difficult
it is to treat and eliminate.
Skin Wrinkles (Rhytids)
As we age, and as our skin is exposed to the ultraviolet rays
from the sun, the collagen that support the skin becomes damaged
and wrinkles start to appear. Ultimately, without treatment,
the numbers and depth of wrinkle becomes overwhelming. Even
though there is no permanent treatment to stop this process,
there are treatments that can turn back the hands of time and
slow the process for return of wrinkling.
Reducing ultraviolet light exposure and a program of daily skin
care is the foundation for reducing rhytids. Other techniques
ranging from microdermabrasion for surface damage to CO2
Laser treatment for deep rhytids are available as well as chemical
techniques for intermediate damage.
Needless to say, the sooner that a regular program of skin rejuvenation
is started based on the individual needs of the patient, the
more effectively that rhytid formation could be controlled.
The same is true for male patients as for females.
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