School Of Public Health

All well-experienced clinicians who routinely place dental implants will take every possible precaution when planning this treatment. This includes thoroughly assessing a patient’s dental and medical health. It is particularly vital when treating people who have chronic kidney disease.

They can use this when placing dental implants in people with chronic kidney disease. The guidelines include sensible suggestions such as consulting with a nephrologist prior to surgery and following up with patients after their surgery.

Chronic kidney disease is a condition affecting approximately 11% of adults worldwide and the number of people afflicted with this disease is growing. Up to 90% of people with chronic kidney disease may have oral symptoms.

Symptoms such as gingival bleeding which is where the gums bleed, or advanced gum disease or even periodontitis can lead to problems such as early tooth loss. Another common issue is xerostomia or dry mouth, where a patient is unable to produce sufficient saliva to keep the mouth clean and comfortable. When there isn’t enough saliva, the risk of dental disease increases which is another important factor to consider for anyone wishing to have dental implants.

One problem with chronic kidney disease and poor oral health is that these conditions can worsen each other. Poor oral health increases the risk of bacteria entering the bloodstream and affecting kidney disease.

Additionally, people with loose or missing teeth will often find its very uncomfortable to eat properly and poor nutrition can affect the kidneys. Apparently, people with chronic kidney disease are less likely to visit dentists compared to healthy patients.

A lack of good dental care increases the likelihood of dental plaque which in turn increases the risk of periodontal disease.

Furthermore, another problem is that diabetes has become increasingly recognized as potentially causing chronic kidney disease. It is an added risk factor for poor oral health. People who need to undergo hemodialysis may have advanced periodontal disease which in turn can lead to jawbone loss. These patients often receive anticoagulants which increase the risk of their gums bleeding.

Dental implant dentists who treat patients with chronic kidney disease are being advised to look out for dry mouth and for a condition called parotitis. This is a condition resulting in inflammation in one or more of the major saliva glands.

Often people with kidney disease will have altered saliva chemistry that can result in increased dental calculus or tartar. Thus, they are more likely to suffer from tooth loss, overcrowding, malocclusion and from loose teeth.

The treatments used can also cause oral health problems. To further complicate things, it’s estimated that many have bone disorders. Despite this, it’s been found that the alveolar bone or the jawbone is generally still fine for dental implants.

Some dentists may avoid treating people with this condition due to the increased risks. Yet, a new medical paper published in the International Journal of Oral Science has proposed guidelines for practitioners to follow.

In addition to consulting a nephrologist, the paper recommends dental implant dentists thoroughly review their patient’s medical history. This includes their history of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

In addition, they recommend a complete blood count and measuring bleeding times and the implant surgery be carried out on the day after hemodialysis. This can help to minimize the risk of bleeding.

After the surgery is completed, dental implant maintenance is particularly important for patients with chronic kidney disease. These precautions can easily be carried out by an experienced and skilled dental implant dentist who already takes extensive precautions when evaluating patients for surgery. They will use the most up-to-date techniques available today.

Using Computer Guided Surgery During Implant Placement

One particular technique that can be helpful is computer guided surgery. This is increasingly being used by dental implant dentists wishing to provide their patients with the very best treatment.

With this technique, patients have a cone beam CT scan in addition to dental x-rays prior to treatment being carried out. A cone beam scan provides detailed 3-D images of the jaws and is used to pre-plan surgery down to the very last millimeter.

The images allow a clinician to decide where best to place each dental implant, avoiding vital structures while maximizing use of available bone. Once the surgery is planned, the treatment plan is converted into a detailed stent that is used during oral surgery. This is used to accurately replicate the plan, greatly minimizing room for error. Often, it’s possible to use what’s called computer guided flap-less surgery.

This is where implants are inserted directly through the gum tissue eliminating the need to make incisions into the gums to expose the underlying bone. This technique can be very useful when treating patients with medical problems. This is because it reduces the risk of infection and bleeding, plus, healing is quicker and smoother.

Is It Worth Having Implant Surgery When You Have Medical Problems?

It can seem as if there is a lot to consider for implant surgery without throwing medical problems into the mix.

With this treatment being worthwhile, should you consider another way to replace missing teeth?

There are lots of advantages in having dental implants. This treatment can provide a long-term solution for tooth loss and many people have their implants for life. With dental implants, you receive stable teeth that make it easy to eat almost anything you like.

It’s easier to maintain good nutrition which in turn can help protect your general health. This could be invaluable if you have medical issues and know you have problems eating properly.

Then there are the improvements to your general sense of well-being and self-confidence. Tooth loss can be quite debilitating and many people feel self-conscious about smiling or socializing with others and will avoid sharing meals.

Implant supported teeth look extremely good. Especially as a skilled dental implant dentist will make sure they function properly and provide excellent aesthetic results, complementing your appearance.

If you do have chronic kidney disease or any other medical problems and are suffering from tooth loss, it’s worth investigating the possibility of dental implants.

Try to see a dentist who specializes in placing dental implants as they are more likely to have the knowledge required to properly assess your condition. They can give you an honest opinion as to whether dental implants will help you and they can discuss any possible complications. Once you know the pros and cons and possible risks, you can make an informed decision about whether to go ahead.

Congestive heart disease affects approximately five million Americans, and some medical professionals believe that within five years time approximately half of those people will unfortunately die from their condition. Congestive heart disease is marked by the heart’s inability to pump efficiently enough to supply the body with freshly oxygenated blood. It is the leading cause of hospitalization among senior citizens and accounted for nearly 20% of the hospitalization of this age group in 2003.

Since congestive heart disease is a condition that warrants attention, a brief discussion of some of the risk factors might be in order. While some of these factors cannot be helped, there are many things a person can change about their lives to reduce the risk.

Risk Factors That Cannot be Helped

There are a number of risk factors for congestive heart disease that simply can’t be helped. One such factor is a previous heart attack, and advanced age, specifically over the age of 65, is another common factor for this condition. Another, of course, is a history of diabetes. Both these factors, although treatable cannot be reversed, and if you have had one of these medical conditions, there is a distinct possibility that congestive heart disease might be a condition to watch out for.

Another risk factor that cannot be changed when dealing with congestive heart disease is having a genetic disposition to the disease. Genetic testing and knowledge of the complete family history can go a long way in indicating whether or not congestive heart disease is something that should be a concern for you.

Risk Factors the Can Be Changed

While some factors that indicate the potential for congestive heart disease cannot be helped, there are a number that can. These factors include such things as chronic high blood pressure, drug or alcohol abuse, thyroid disease, and even heart valve disease. All these risk factors, especially drug and alcohol abuse can be managed with help from your medical professional or friendly neighborhood physician. The best course of action is talk to your doctor to design a plan to attack congestive heart disease and hopefully stop it from affecting your life.

Unfortunately, congestive heart disease is difficult to diagnose because it often occurs as a result of or in conjunction with other forms of heart disease. Perhaps the best hope for patients with this disease is to catch it early and begin treatment as soon as possible.

The intestinal tract of some people develops pouches or diverticula. This is a health disorder of the lower intestinal tract and in particular the colon. It can however affect other parts of the gastrointestinal wall. The condition is characterized by pocket or sack development of ‘diverticula’ within the colon’s wall. The diverticula tend to grow in the weak regions of the bowel wall and especially in places where blood vessels passing through the bowel walls and regions of the colon that are generally narrow – such as the the sigmoid colon area.

It is generally believed that diverticula development is mostly the result of the western style diet adoption, which can be generally low in fiber. Highly processing most kind of foods is a common practice in developed or industrialized countries. Due to large scale of refining carried out with many foods, fiber and many other nutrients contained are removed.

A diet that is too low in fiber leads in the development of fecal matter that is different in consistency from that of a diet rich in fibber. As a result of poor fibber consumption a higher muscular force is applied and strain during bowel movement. It is this high pressure and strains that result in the outwards expansion of the bowel through the muscles surrounding the area to consequently form pouch like structures called diverticula.

A diet high in meat and ant related product, as opposed to plant foods, has shown to lead in diverticular disease. Animal products contain no fiber; in contrast plant products provide most of the needs for dietary fiber. When an individual follow a diet that includes limited amounts of plant foods this will lead into insufficient daily amounts of fiber required. The lack of dietary fibber eventually results in an increased pressure and strain in the bowel, during elimination, and consequently development of diverticular disease.

Several studies point out that a diet high in vegetable foods, such as those regularly consumed in developing countries greatly minimized the chances of developing diverticular disease. It has also been identified that may be genetic component are affecting the development of diverticular disease. Another factor associated with diverticular disease is age. Diverticular disease is commonly found in individuals over the age of fifty. Generally, condition of muscle tone and repair of tissue becomes lower with age and the chronic repeated pressure and strain of the lower intestinal tract inevitably leads to the weakening of the bowel walls.

It is estimated that about one third of the population at forty years of age develop deverticular disease and about two thirds of the population at eighty years of age have diverticular disease. Those individuals already suffering form colonic mobility problems or defects in the strength of the colon wall are at higher risk of developing diverticular disease. Diverticular disease is not based on gender and both male and female alike can equally develop the condition.

The term diverticular disease is the general description of a condition that covers what is called the diverticulosis and diverticulitis stages of the disease.

a) Diverticulosis: The term refers to the diverticula presence within the colon. A person with diverticulosis may have no symptoms and it is possible that they may never develop the active stage of the condition.

b) Diverticulitis: This term describes the active stage of the disease, in which the diverticula pockets become inflamed. Current belief is that diverticulitis occurs when fecal matter is trapped in the pockets. This creates a perfect environment in which bacteria can manifest and consequently cause infection. The infection may proceed in one of four ways.

The infection may spontaneously resolve itself without medical intervention.

The infection may progress, leading to more severe complications

The infection may cause partial or complete obstruction of the bowel. This generally must be addressed via surgery.

The infection may fistulize. If the infection is not treated the site of infection will spread and consequently break through to another organ or cavity of the body, creating a tunnel or fistula

Diverticulitis does not occur in every individual with diverticulosis. In reality only a small proportion of people with diverticulosis will develop diverticulitis.

Diverticular disease can be diagnosed via one of three procedures:

1) Colonoscopy: This procedure involves a thin, lighted tube being passed through the rectum in order to obtain a thorough look at the bowel wall. This also enables the removal of small pieces of the bowel wall for further investigation via biopsy.

2) Single Contrast Barium Enema: A thin tube is passed through the rectum in order to feed a white liquid known as barium into the bowel. The presence of the barium allows for the outline the bowel wall show in an x-ray. If over activity due to presence of the disease is prevalent, the bowel wall will appear thickened.

3) Double Contrast Barium Enema: If an individual suspected to have diverticular disease an enema may be implemented to view the wall of the colon. The double contrast enema is more accurate than a single contrast enema. However, an enema is not used if there is any possibility of diverticulitis as this may increase the risk of perforation of the diverticula.

4) Water-soluble contrast enema: Another form of enema- this enables imaging of the intraluminal space and consequent diagnosis of diverticular disease.

5) Computerized Tomography (CT) Scan: This procedure is less invasive as it does not required passing of a tube through the rectum. Instead a scan is used to produce a 3D image on a computer screen in which the bowel can be viewed. If possible, CT scans are used due to their high degree of accuracy in diagnosing diverticula disease and identifying the development of abscesses.

6) Ultrasonography: This test is equally as accurate and non-invasive in diagnosing acute colonic diverticulitis. Like an ultrasounds, these sound waves produce echoes which for a picture of organs and tissues inside the body on an ultrasound machine.

For those individuals diagnosed with diverticular disease, in general their diverticula will cause them no problems and they may never develop the active stage of the disorder diverticulitis. Some may develop this phase once or very rarely and will recover very quickly form the event via treatment through optimal diet and antibiotics. There are however the rare cases in which the diverticular disease and consequent diverticulitis are more severe.

Approximately ten to twenty percent of those with diverticulosis will develop the active type of the disease (diverticulitis). The exact cause of diverticulitis is not well understood. The condition can occur suddenly and without warning. Diverticular is a common health condition. You must contact your health care provider if you suspect you are suffering from diverticular disease.