A girl, a woman, a mother. A special smile for every age.
There are some orthodontic pathologies which mainly affect the female sex in childhood.
They regard dentition, the oral cavity and the temporal-mandibular joint. Another pathology which often affects the female sex is osteoporosis due to menopause. The bone component of our body is subject to a continuous reshuffle and to processes of construction and destruction over time. In some patients, this phenomenon increases with the oestrogen decrease during menopause or some substitute hormone therapies.
Dental agenesis
It is the most common anomaly in the human race. It is the lack of development of one or more teeth in the dental arch and can affect both baby teeth and permanent ones. The cause is unknown, but it is the consequence of hormone, genetic, environmental and infectious alterations. They affect both males and females in equal way.
In females, agenesis is often bilateral and mainly affects the upper lateral incisor and the second upper and lower bicuspid.
The presence of supernumerary teeth is another common tendency among Caucasian populations.
During pregnancy
Pregnancy is a very delicate period of time for the oral hygiene. During gestation it increases the chances of an alteration of the mucous membranes in the oral cavity as they sensitize and are therefore more exposed to inflammations and infections.
All these changes can be monitored and managed with a specific accompanying path of the oral health condition of the future mom. This consists in an accurate check-up plan at the dentist’s combined with advice on an accurate and correct oral hygiene.
T.M.J. disorders (temporomandibular joint)
The temporomandibular joint is a complex structure. Mouth opening and closure occur when muscles joining jaw, skull and neck move. When the jaw starts to move, the mandibular condyle moves forward and goes through a bone prominence present in the skull.
This flowing movement is protected by a meniscus between the two bones, and a series of ligaments which keep the joint together.
Teeth are the starting and arrival point of the mouth opening and closure. Any alteration of this mechanism causes a series of pathological chain reactions.
