Sunday 29 May 2011

TOOTH AN IMPORTANT BUT NEGRECTED PART OF THE BODY


TOOTH AN IMPORTANT BUT NEGRECTED PART OF THE BODY
By Rukoma, AM (DDS, MDent-Resorative Dentistry), May 2011.
Introduction
Together with cheeks, tongue and palate, the teeth form the first and important part of the digestive system. They help to breakdown food substances into small particles which are easily swallowed and then acted upon by digestive enzymes to the form which can be absorbed by the body for energy, growth and repair. Loss of teeth through extractions can seriously affect our general health. Further more; teeth help us in speech (articulation) and facial appearance. Imagine a person missing the anterior teeth required to address a public! If you have not experienced it, do not play for it.
Important to note, artificial teeth cost more than treating the natural teeth, at the same time they can not exactly replace the missing natural teeth. However, always something is better than nothing, if your have lost your teeth, artificial teeth is the remaining best option for you.
Interestingly, almost all disease conditions affecting the teeth are preventable and curable, but yet still dental problems remain one of the most common diseases affecting mankind. The physical and economical impact on the individual as well as the nation can not be over emphasized. However, this area of health has not received the attention it deserves both from individuals and organizations. The result is that the age old trend whereby the public visit the dentist when they are in pain and ending up in extractions continues unabated. 
Diseases that affect the teeth
All studies so far indicate that, dental caries (tooth decay) and periodontal (gum) diseases are the most prevalent conditions affecting the teeth and thus the leading cause of teeth loss.
Dental caries slowly destroys the teeth through acid produced from surgery food we eat, if untreated, the disease progresses to the extent where the only remaining option is tooth removal (extraction). On the other hand, periodontal conditions slowly destroys the gums, bones and other tissues supporting the teeth, if left untreated, the affected teeth become loose and later fall on their own or are extracted.  
As said in the introduction, these diseases are preventable and curable. And prevention is not even associated with injections or tablets as vaccines, but rather a mere change of habit. Just improving oral hygiene habits and visiting dentist regularly are enough to prevent these diseases and associated teeth loss. Moreover, even if the diseases have occurred in early stages and some cases of advanced stages, the diseases are curable. Surprisingly enough, despite these facts, the rate of teeth loss through extraction is alarming. One has to wonder why?


Injustice people are doing to the teeth
Tooth is the only part of the body which when pain, the patient will just request for its removal (extraction). I have never seen a patient requesting removal of the eye or any other part of the body simply because it pains. No matter how other parts of the body are destroyed, the patients will always ask for the treatment to maintain them, but for the tooth, even if it can be conserved, just remove! Sadly to say, even most medical insurance agents do not cover for scaling and root planning, the procedure which prevent both tooth decay and gum diseases from occurring. It is the same scaling and root planning which is the first line of treatment almost for all forms of gum diseases. Their lay argument is that, removing tarter (calculus) is an esthetic procedure (beauty), a misleading and deadly concept. More badly, some other insurers do not even cover root canal treatment, the treatment which cures advanced form of tooth decay. Another lay argument is that, the sure way of treating the painful tooth is its removal (extraction)! Why not the sure way of treating the incurable heart diseases is the removal of the heart?  Unjust indeed to the tooth, stop it.
As a treatment, tooth extraction is supposed to be done only when other methods of saving it are impossible or when such tooth can become a reason for other and more serious complications.
What should you do to prevent your tooth from extraction?
Brushing and flossing twice a day when coupled with visiting a dentist at least twice a year is enough to save your teeth. Is this costly? Every body has the answer. While consultation fee is enough to have your teeth checked routinely by dentist, tooth brush is among the cheapest commodity in the market. Early uncavitated decay can be treated by just medication, while simple fillings can save teeth with small to medium size cavities (holes). Good news is that even majority of teeth with big and deep cavities can also be served by doing root canal treatment. Always ask your dentist if he/she can do a root canal treatment on your badly decayed teeth instead of removal.
Always remember
1.      Health teeth = proper teeth brushing and regular dental visits (consultation fee + cost of toothbrush and paste),
2.      Diseased teeth cured and retained = filling or root canal treatment or scaling and root planning (consultation fee + treatment charges),
3.      Diseased teeth extracted = extraction and or artificial teeth (consultation fee+ extraction charges + cost of artificial teeth + cost of soft diet + teeth loss related problems).

5 comments:

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