Osteonecrosis of the Jaw and its effect on Braces Treatment

Even though dentistry is a specialized field on its own, your dentist still requires information about other aspects of your general hearth.  Lifestyle patterns like smoking and drinking may not seem like they are very important from a dental point of view, except of course when they  leave awful stains on you teeth that you have to erase through dental treatment.  These and other activities like these can impact your general health and can have an accompanying effect on your dental health too. So, discuss your past medical history with your dentist or orthodontist just like you would with your general physician. .

Take alcohol, for instance.  Alcohol can have an adverse effect on the bone that supports your teeth. Beside this, there may other factors in your health history that affect your bone strength. Your orthodontist may check for bone density by advising bone density tests. 

Bone brittleness or osteoporosis is a condition in which there is a loss of bone mass, density as well as deterioration in bone tissue. This condition can also be seen in the case of use of certain drugs. If a person has been on biphosphonate medicines that are used in treatment of cancer, then the patient could be at an increased risk of a condition called Osteonecrosis of the Jaw or ONJ.  ONJ is associated with Aredia, Zometa, Actonel, Boniva, Fosamax, Didronel, Ostac and Bonefos.   These drugs can impact bone mineral density.  Apart from these, there are other drugs used to treat breast cancer and other cancers that are associated with ONJ.

A person  suffering from ONJ is likely to experience looseness of  teeth.  Gums  will take a longer time to heal. There could also be some numbness or heaviness, pain and swelling or even infection in the gums.

The condition is rare, but still continues to be a concern. There are some conditions that can increase the risk of  development of ONJ.  These include:

• Underlying cancerous conditions
• Poor blood circulation
• Clotting problem,
• Poor nutrition
• Gum disease

Persons who have undergone recent dental surgery or have suffered an infection may also be more at risk for ONJ.  Besides, people who have anemia are more likely to develop ONJ.  Patients who have undergone steroid therapy, or drink excessive amounts of alcohol or smoke are also more at risk for this painful condition.

It's important to stress that  ONJ is not a very common condition, but it is still better to discuss your medical background with your orthodontist.  If you have taken or are taking a biphosphonate drug, remember to inform your dentist or orthodontist because this could impact your braces treatment, as well as tooth extraction and other dental procedures.