Oral Myiasis And Dental Implants: How Discovering The Condition Is A Good Reason For Implants
Posted on: 30 July 2015
Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the Amazonian jungle, cases of oral myiasis appear. This true but horrific dental condition is enough to make you want to stay home in the U.S., where it is less likely for flies to lay eggs in your mouth. When children and adults living south of the equator have bad oral hygiene and sleep with their mouths open at night, the flies take advantage of the deteriorating gum tissue and hot breath and lay their eggs closest to the worst dental issues. The result is several maggots chewing their way through the gum tissue. Unless the maggots and the loosened teeth are removed, the infected individual loses all of his or her teeth. After that, a dentist will need to put implants in. Here is how it all works.
Diagnosing the Problem and Removing the Maggots
If a patient is old enough to talk and tell the dentist what he or she feels, it does help the dentist determine what is happening. Then the maggots can be removed before too much bone and gum tissue is gone. The dentist will use an elongated forceps to dig around under the gum line and fish the maggots out. All of the maggots have to be removed, or the procedure is a complete failure because even one remaining maggot can finish off a large portion of bone and gum tissue. Once all the maggots are removed, the dentist will remove the loose teeth and damaged gum tissue.
Inserting Dental Implants
If the infected patient is a small child, chances are high that the dentist will want to replace the child's teeth with implants so that the child can talk and chew for many years to come. After the loose teeth are removed and the damaged and diseased tissue is scored off, the dentist will install the dental screws and fake teeth, sewing the healthy tissue back over the implants. The child and his or her parents are given antiseptic mouthwash to use for several days and possibly some antibiotics to kill any remaining infection in the gums and deter more flies from laying eggs. A follow-up with a dentist or doctor in a few weeks is necessary to make sure all the maggots are gone and the implants are doing well.
Oral Hygiene Education
After a young patient has received the implants and had maggots and dead teeth removed, a dentist will try very hard to educate the parents about good nutrition and oral hygiene. The dentist will also remind the family that even though their child now has several fake teeth, it is not a good reason to avoid good oral hygiene for the rest of their child's mouth. In developing countries this is very hard to do, but foreign aid, oral care packages and free dental services, such as dental implants for lost adult teeth, can really help.
To learn more, contact an office like Cumberland Periodontal Associate.
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