After any dental procedure, infection is something a dentist will work to prevent. By using sterile procedures, instruments and educating the patient on what they can and can’t do after the procedure, can go a long way to prevent infection. However, when infection does occur, a quick response is necessary. Bacterial leakage around dental restorations can have a significant impact on the surrounding dental pulp. The dental pulp is the innermost part of the tooth and is a living tissue — it’s filled with blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue. This is in part what makes dental work so painful. It’s critical for periodontists and dentists to choose dental materials for restoration that are compatible with the pulp. When the materials aren’t compatible, the surrounding area of the mouth can become irritated and inflamed, resulting in bacterial leakage. Bacterial leakage can cause infection and implant failure if not handled quickly.
Glossary
Ball abutment
Also known as a ball attachment, a ball abutment is a type of extracoronal attachment mechanism used with dental implants to retain an overdenture. It consists of a spherical shaped abutment, which fits into an attachment metal housing. Prior to the implant procedure, a patient must first experience full gingival healing. Following this, proper measurement of the tissue thickness must be taken to ensure the correct abutment fit. Once the right attachment diameter is selected, the abutment is properly threaded into place and adjusted using a driver. The attachment part of the mechanism is then seated into the base of the overdenture and the denture itself is affixed to the implant. These metal attachment housings can be exchanged for alternate sizes if needed to create a proper fit. Utilizing a ball abutment can also allow for easier replacement of components and is associated with less stress on the implant. Ball abutments come in a variety of materials and the one selected may depend on the nature of the procedure and the type of implant.
Basic Structural Unit (BSU)
A Basic Structural Unit (BSU) is essentially a building block. In anatomy, the basic structural unit of the body is the cell. All living organisms have cells, which start as the zygote — the single cell at the beginning of life, after a spermatazoon fertilizes an oocyte. In humans, the body has more than 200 different cell types. The human mouth contains bone cells, epithelial cells, endothelial cells, muscle cells, nerve cells, and cartilage cells. These make up four broader categories of tissue in the body: nerve tissue, muscle tissue, connective tissue, and nervous tissue. This means that the oral cavity involves nearly all the different types of tissue and basic structural units of the body. The innermost part of the BSU, or the nucleus, contains the genetic (DNA) information for the organism. Mitochondria provide energy to the cell to perform bodily functions, and the cell membrane functions as an outer wall.