Hi, it's Mia Armonde here to talk to you about family dentistry. As my small family grew into a large one, I found myself at the dental office on a regular basis. Every six months, the kids would go into the dentist for a cleaning or repairs to their teeth. During that time, I took an interest in the various ways the dental tools were evolving. Tools used in the dental industry have grown in leaps and bounds in the last few decades. For example, my kids went from hearing the dental drill to wearing headphones that completely canceled out the sound. Each time we go back into the dentist, I take a close look at the improvements that have arisen since the last visit. The results are astounding. I will cover my findings on this site, so you can also enjoy the improvements to dental tools and techniques.
Cementum is the tissue that covers the outsides of the roots of your teeth, and it's very important. It protects your roots and helps hold your teeth in place. Cementum is made of minerals, and your body will keep re-mineralizing it throughout your life to keep it strong. Sometimes, this happens too quickly, and your cementum becomes overgrown. Here's what you need to know about hypercementosis.
Why does hypercementosis occur?
Hypercementosis has many possible causes, and sometimes, dentists can't figure out why it occurs. Some possible causes are abscesses, misaligned teeth, or trauma. What all of these possible causes have in common is that they put pressure on the roots of your teeth. This pressure can stimulate the cells in your cementum and make them think that they need to repair themselves.
This condition can also be caused by other health issues, for example, Paget's disease. If more than one of your teeth has too much cementum, your dentist may recommend that you see your family doctor for further testing.
Is hypercementosis painful?
Hypercementosis doesn't usually cause any symptoms, so most people with this condition won't know they have it until their dentist discovers it by chance during a routine x-ray. Other people are less lucky, and will feel an aching pain in the affected teeth. Some people will also experience pain in the nerves around the affected teeth. This pain can be very severe.
Will the affected teeth need to be extracted?
Extraction is a last resort treatment for hypercementosis. It's usually only done when the cementum is seriously overgrown and is causing severe pain. In milder cases, dentists use iodine to stop the growth of the cementum. This treatment also makes some of the excess cementum tissue reabsorb into the body.
How common is it?
Hypercementosis is a rare condition, so it hasn't been the subject of many medical studies. There have been no studies done on American patients, but studies from other countries can give dentists an idea of how common hypercementosis is likely to be in America. A Brazilian study found that between 1.05% and 5.67% of people have hypercementosis, while a German study reported a prevalence of 1.33%.
Hypercementosis is a rare dental condition. It doesn't usually cause symptoms, but if you are one of the rare people who experiences pain, make an appointment with your dentist right away. For more information, visit http://www.fortcollinsdentist.com or a similar website.
Share14 April 2015
