Multiple Sclerosis is an impediment in the nervous system that attacks the spinal cord and your brain. If you are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, referred to as MS, your immune system attacks the myelin sheath that protects the nerve fibers in your spinal cord, causing improper communication between your brain and your body. This most often will lead to both physical disability and permanent damage to the nervous system. Multiple sclerosis can often lead to partial or full paralysis. Symptoms can vary and depend mostly on the amount of nerve damage present and then the specific nerves that are affected. Common symptoms most often include the lack of control or the coordination of the muscles, the loss of balance or memory loss, and localized feelings of weakness and numbness. You might face significant disability, or you could experience long asymptomatic periods. There is currently no cure available for multiple sclerosis, but some treatments can help you manage your MS symptoms and change the severity of the disease.
Dental Problems if You have MS
Multiple Sclerosis is an overwhelming disorder with a number of dental health complications. A common one is the weakening and loss of muscle control. This medical disorder will make it difficult for you, if you are suffering from it, to perform simple dental hygiene habits like brushing and flossing. This poor dental hygiene will certainly result in bacteria attacking the teeth’s defenses.
Multiple Sclerosis patients often also find it difficult to stay relaxed at a dental appointment, which leads to both prolonged examinations and dental procedures. The dentist is challenged to keep the appointment as short as possible, to stay ahead of the fatigue, stress, and muscle spasms that will arise.
A leading symptom of multiple sclerosis is inflammation, which is a natural defense effort generated by the immune system. Gum disease is inflammatory as well, and the inflammation from the gum disease will then trigger systemic inflammation, creating MS flare-ups. These flare-ups then increase inflammation in the gum tissue, in a vicious cycle that deteriorates the immune system and also destroys gum tissue. Preventative dental care is particularly important if you have multiple sclerosis. Dental hygiene and all home oral care pose significant daily challenges. You might also experience difficulty in swallowing, using your tongue, and producing saliva. All of these issues will adversely affect the health of your mouth, teeth, and gums. Many medications prescribed to treat MS will lead to a condition known as xerostomia, which is an excessive dryness in your oral cavity, and which also stimulates the growth of cavities and gum disease. Deliberate hydration will help prevent the issues caused by xerostomia, as well as salivary substitutes and fluoride treatments. Some MS medications will also cause oral ulcers, which then makes brushing or flossing even more painful. Your dentists might also recommend brushing and flossing aids, which are available over the counter, or they may recommend some help with home care. If you have multiple sclerosis can find it helpful to brush your teeth while sitting down, to slow down muscle fatigue. You might also prefer to floss while sitting down.
The Effects of Multiple Sclerosis on the Dental Implant Procedure
Frequent dental care is especially important for you if you have multiple sclerosis. You should plan to visit your dentist at least twice a year, if not more often. When you have multiple sclerosis, you need to see the dentist, there are multiple factors to consider. Depending on the severity of your MS disease, you might require shorter dental appointments, preferably in the morning when well-rested, to minimize any muscle spasms and other uncomfortable symptoms. When a longer appointment is unavoidable, frequent breaks will be necessary, like short 5-to-10-minute breaks every thirty minutes. If you have multiple sclerosis you may need to sit at a 45-degree angle, keeping your airway open, because MS patients can develop respiratory problems with their breathing muscles. If you can breathe through your nose, a rubber dam might be recommended. It could also be painful or stressful for you to voluntarily keep your mouth open for an extended period, and a mouth prop might be used to help hold your mouth open.
If you have multiple sclerosis, you might find it difficult pinpointing the specific origin of your discomfort or pain, which then makes accurate diagnosis more challenging. Your dentist needs to take great care and use all available resources before considering more invasive procedures like a dental implant. If you have multiple sclerosis, you may also develop a pain in your face, known as trigeminal neuralgia, or a temporary numbness in your face, jaw, and teeth. Multiple sclerosis can lead to partial or even total paralysis of your face, which will complicate dental procedures. If you have more advanced multiple sclerosis, you may use a wheelchair, which raises another concern about wheelchair access.
Dental Implants Versus Dentures for Multiple Sclerosis Patients
When tooth decay and gum disease develop in yourself with multiple sclerosis, causing your teeth to either fall out or the need to be extracted, the several types of dental restorations will come with their own set of challenges. Removable dentures can be problematic for you if you have multiple sclerosis. Xerostomia might make it difficult to wear removable dentures and will affect your ability to eat or to talk, and your symptoms of MS can also make it difficult to remove and insert the dentures. Muscle spasticity can make removable dentures difficult to wear, and with more severe cases of MS, removable dentures can even be dangerous. If you face swallowing difficulties due to your multiple sclerosis, a bulky removable denture can magnify these difficulties and lead to choking or the inability to eat. If you have multiple sclerosis, dental implants can be immensely helpful, because they can support the denture and negate the slipping or dislodging, and they will not interfere with your ability to talk or to swallow. If you have multiple sclerosis can may receive the placement of dental implants with no real complications. Certain medications might interfere with the healing of your gums and jawbone, so be sure to share with your dentist your complete and entire medical history if you are considering the possibility of dental restoration treatment with dental implants.