Monthly Archives: December 2011

How Is Plaque Detected?

Dental plaque will start forming at the hard to reach places, like at the gum line © smileplus.wordpress,com

In many cases, plaque is difficult for an individual to identify. Plaque can be removed at planned intervals by the dental hygienist or a dentist as part of an oral prophylaxis. However, because daily dental plaque removal is more effective, it is the individual – not the hygienist or the dentist – who is vital for preserving lifelong intact teeth. Therefore it is essential to know the sites in the mouth where tooth plaque tends to accumulate.
Continue reading →

Cherubism Part 1

Cherubism is a rare genetic disorder that causes prominence in the lower portion in the face. The name is derived from the temporary chubby-cheeked resemblance to putti, often confused with cherubs, in Renaissance paintings.

Presentation

The appearance of people with the disorder is caused by a loss of bone in the mandible which the body replaces with excessive amounts of fibrous tissue. In most cases, the condition fades as the child grows, but in a few even rarer cases the condition continues to deform the affected person’s face. Cherubism also causes premature loss of the primary teeth and uneruption of the permanent teeth. Continue reading →

Abnormalities in size of tooth/ teeth

1. Large tooth/ macrodontia

Macrodontia is derived from the word “macro” which means large and “dont” which refers to tooth or teeth. Macrodontia means a condition whereby a tooth or a group of teeth is abnormally larger than usual. We are not talking about the “bunny teeth” that we  had when we were about 6-7 years old, when our 2 upper front teeth has just erupted. The head and jaws of a child that age will continue to grow, and soon the 2 front teeth will no longer seem protruding and large.

Macrodontia can be divided into: Continue reading →

Behçet’s disease

Behçet’s disease (Sometimes called Behçet’s syndrome, Morbus Behçet, or Silk Road disease) is a rare immune-mediated systemic vasculitis that often presents with mucous membrane ulceration and ocular involvements. Behçet disease (BD) was named in 1937 after the Turkish dermatologist Hulusi Behçet, who first described the triple-symptom complex of recurrent oral aphthous ulcers, genital ulcers, and uveitis. As a systemic disease, it can also involve visceral organs such as the gastrointestinal tract, pulmonary, musculoskeletal, and neurological systems. This syndrome can be fatal, due to ruptured vascular aneurysms, or severe neurological complications. Continue reading →

Desquamative gingivitis

Desquamative gingivitis is a cutaneous condition characterized by diffuse gingival erythema with varying degrees of mucosal sloughing and erosion.

A band of red atrophic or eroded mucosa affecting the attached gingiva is known as dequamative gingivitis. Unlike plaque-induced inflammation it is a dusky red colour and extends beyond the marginal gingiva, often to the full width of the attached gingiva and sometimes onto the alveolar mucosa. DG is more common in middle-aged to elderly females, is painful, affects the buccal/labial gingiva predominantly. Some reserve the term for cases where the epithelium blisters or peels while others use it whenever the characteristic red appearance is present. (Edward W. Odell, 2010) Continue reading →

Causes of abnormal number of teeth in your/your child’s dentition-Part II

We have discussed hypodontia in the part I of this article. Here we will look at extra teeth in addition to those in the normal dentition.

Extra tooth

Hyperdontia

Hyperdontia, or supernumerary teeth, are teeth additional to those in the normal series. They can be found anywhere in the tooth-bearing region. They are most commonly found in the upper front tooth region, followed by the lower back tooth region. Just like hypodontia, they can  be present on both sides (right and left sides) of the dentition. Hence, when there is a supernumerary tooth on one side of the jaw, a dentist would check for the possibility of a supernumerary tooth on the other side as well. Continue reading →