The Tribune

By DR SPARKMAN FERGUSON

RECENTLY it was my privilege to renew relationship with a 55-year-old patient who I thought had moved away from the Bahamas.

Our conversation took us back to his last dental visit, which was in 1995. Up to that point, he was a regular attendee, and had invested a fair amount of money in cosmetic dentistry to beautify his smile. Things were going well because he had become a model patient.

His 2015 visit was for a dental checkup. He had not seen a dentist in 20 years. The visit produced an unexpected shock. All 28 of his teeth were loose, and none could be saved. This is ultimately what can be expected in all cases of dental neglect.

What is the price?

Our minds immediately go to money when the question of price arises. Although the price of dental neglect has a monetary arm, the greatest additional cost to the person rests with two realities. These are firstly the actuality of permanent mouth damage, and secondly the loss of natural mouth function.

What is permanent mouth damage?

Permanent mouth damage is what results from having removed all the natural teeth from the mouth because of gum disease. The permanence speaks of the loss.

With all the teeth missing, a person is in the market for replacement teeth.

What are the types of replacement teeth?

There are two choices available for replacement teeth when all are missing:

1. A person can have dental implants, followed by permanent crowns and/or bridges. This is by far the most modern, sophisticated, expensive, and best way to rehabilitate the mouth.

2. Alternately, a person can have full dentures (artificial removable teeth) as a treatment option. The advantage of this choice is that is will be much less expensive.

What is the loss of natural mouth function?

The mouth functions best with its original design and original natural teeth. With all the natural teeth removed, the functions of the mouth have to be reestablished. First and foremost, the dentist has to approximate the original position of the teeth with the goal of repositioning them. The biting and chewing motions also have to be reestablished in order for the person to be able to chew their food once again. Last but not least, the newly built mouth must recapture enunciation, phonetics, and speech.

Conclusion

Maintaining one’s oral health is the only weapon against losing permanent teeth. Persons (especially 18 years and older) must heed the warning to seek regular dental examinations and treatment.

Very often, persons neglect their oral health.

The reasons for this are fear, ignorance, financial difficulty, laziness, or any combination of these. Whatever the reason for the neglect, dental disease does not discriminate. It afflicts all persons in the same manner.

It then behooves all adults to make regular dental examinations and treatment a part of their lives. The price for dental neglect is steep but can be easily avoided.