Maxillofacial prosthetics is a sub-specialty of prosthodontics.
Maxillofacial prosthodontists treat patients who have acquired
and congenital defects of the head and neck (maxillofacial) region
due to surgery, trauma, and/or birth defect. Artificial eyes,
ears, and maxillary obturators are commonly planned and fabricated
by maxillofacial prosthodontists. Other less commonly employed
prostheses include mouth devices used by amputees to aid in daily
activities, tracheostomy obturators, and cranial implants.
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Burning
Mouth Syndrome (BMS): This
often affects the tongue, palate, and/or lips and is associated
with symptoms including burning, dryness, and altered taste.
Taste & Smell Disorders:Loss
of smell and taste may result from polyps in the nasal or sinus
cavities, hormonal disturbances, or dental problems. They can
also be caused by prolonged exposure to certain chemicals such
as insecticides and by some medicines.
Tobacco
smoking, Radiation therapy, brain tumors & patients who have
lost their larynx (voice box) commonly complain of poor ability
to smell and taste
A typical Orofacial and Tooth Pain:
A
typical facial pain is a persistent pain in the face or intraoral
region that does not fit into the diagnostic criteria associated
with specific orofacial pain disorders. .
Oral
Cancer and Oral Complications from Cancer Treatment: The
most common oral problems occurring after radiation and chemotherapy
are mucositis (an inflammation of the mucous membranes in the
mouth), infection, pain, and bleeding. Other possible complications
might include dehydration and malnutrition, commonly brought on
by difficulties in swallowing (dysphagia). Radiation therapy to
the head and neck may injure the glands that produce saliva (xerostomia),
or damage the muscles and joints of the jaw and neck (trismus).
These treatments may also cause hypovascularization (reduction
in blood vessels and blood supply) of the bones of the maxilla
or mandible (the bones of the mouth). In addition, treatments
may affect other forms of dental disease (caries, or soft tissue
complications), or even cause bone death (osteonecrosis).
Oral
Changes of Systemic Diseases: Most systemic diseases can
affect the oral cavity. Some oral changes are nonspecific, whereas
others directly lead to the diagnosis of a particular disorder.
Many systemic diseases have oral manifestations. The oral cavity
might well be thought of as the window to the body because oral
manifestations accompany many systemic diseases. These oral manifestations
must be properly recognized if the patient is to receive appropriate
diagnosis and referral for treatment.
Salivary
Gland Dysfunction (Sjogren’s Syndrome): Salivary
gland dysfunction is a generalized disease of the salivary glands
that may result in either a decrease or an increase in salivary
output. A moderate increase in the salivary output does not cause
an obvious problem. However, a decrease in the salivary output
causes a disease condition called dry mouth or xerostomia.
Dry eyes
Dry mouth
Salivary gland enlargement
Rheumatoid arthritis, or any other autoimmune disease
Infectious and Inflammatory Conditions (Viral,
Bacterial and Fungal Infections) Inflammation of the oral
tissues may be either primary or secondary. Inflammation in the
oral cavity may affect the gingiva (gingivitis), periodontium
(periodontitis), oral mucosa (stomatitis), tongue (glossitis),
glossopalatine arches (faucitis), palate (palatitis), or pharynx
(pharyngitis). The nature and severity of the lesions vary greatly
depending on the etiology and duration of the disease.
Benign Growths of the Oral Cavity:
Papilloma, Fibroma, Lipoma are benign tumors of oral cavity. There
are a number of other benign tumours in the oral cavity of which
the granular cell tumour or myoblastoma should be mentioned. This
is a benign tumour of the tongue that is often covered by hyperplastic
epithelium and exhibits so-called pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia.
Furthermore, fibroepithelioma, hemangioma and lipoma can be categorized
as benign tumours of the oral cavity.
Canker Sores (Aphthous Ulcers):An
aphthous ulcer or canker sore is a type of mouth ulcer which presents
as a painful open sore inside the mouth, caused by a break in
the mucous membrane. The condition is also known as aphthous stomatitis,
and alternatively as "Sutton's Disease," especially
in the case of multiple or recurring ulcers.
Dry Mouth (Xerostomia): What happens
when you have xerostomia?
Increase dental decay
Recurrent oral yeast infection
Difficulty in speech
Difficulty in chewing
Difficulty in swallowing
Burning mouth
Change/ loss of taste quality
Recurrent salivary gland infection
Sleep Breathing Disorders (Sleep Apnea):
Sleep
apnea is a common disorder that can be very serious. In sleep
apnea, your breathing stops or gets very shallow while you are
sleeping. Each pause in breathing typically lasts 10 to 20 seconds
or more. These pauses can occur 20 to 30 times or more an hour.
The
most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea. During
sleep, enough air cannot flow into your lungs through your mouth
and nose even though you try to breathe. When this happens, the
amount of oxygen in your blood may drop. Normal breaths then start
again with a loud snort or choking sound. When your sleep is upset
throughout the night, you can be very sleepy during the day. With
sleep apnea, your sleep is not restful. Non surgically we treat
the patients with the help of prosthesis
Migraine and Headache Disorders:Various
forms of headache are among the most common disorders of the nervous
system. They are pandemic and, in many cases, life-long conditions.
Migraine is a neurological disease that can cause a wide range
of symptoms during an attack. The most commonly thought of symptom
is headache. Usually migraine causes episodes of severe or moderate
headache (which is often one-sided and pulsating) lasting from
several hours to three days, accompanied by gastrointestinal upsets,
such as nausea and vomiting, and a heightened sensitivity to bright
lights (photophobia) and noise (phonophobia). |