What is Cerebral Palsy and How Could it Affect Your Oral Health

Medications need to be taken in order to cope with this disorder. However, cerebral palsy not only affects a person's motor skills, but also sets about some complications that may seem minor issues, but may become bigger problems. Oral health is especially one of the most largely ignored areas that may be affected by cerebral palsy. This may seem strange, but it's true. People with cerebral palsy tend to have a tinge of green teeth. There are currently no known reasons for this, but there are ways for dentists to change the color. Development of the tooth enamel, which protects the teeth from bacteria, may also be slow or may completely stop prematurely. However, there are artificial enamels that may be set in order to ensure their restoration. The lack of muscle control may also contribute to some inherent actions that may not be avoided, one of which is continued teeth grinding. Constant teeth grinding can wear them down and may also cause infection, therefore repairs need to be made. There have been more than one occasion where people with cerebral palsy may get their teeth damaged due to accidents. Dental reconstruction will be able to greatly help in fixing their teeth, and will also put reinforcements to make sure that they will stay strong over time. Although these may continuously need checking up, they at least fortify the teeth and last long. To cope with this disorder, medications are also often taken to keep the problems in under control or to minimize the possibilities of complications. Because it is non-progressive, a person with this disorder can cope through medication and through getting used to their condition, as well as knowing their limitations. The common medications, however, can highly affect gum growth, resulting to uncontrollable development of the bone and teeth. This may become a serious problem since such an occurrence may make it hard for the person to maintain oral hygiene, resulting to possible bacterial infections. To keep this under control, some gum tissue may have to be removed and smoothened in a simple surgical procedure. The person will be treated only with local anesthesia. Great care must be undertaken so there will be involuntary muscle movement that may result to more damage.