Managing Hemophilia Living With Hemophilia:
Dental Care Through The Years1
Through braces and beyond, how does hemophilia affect dental care needs? Here is a guide to dental care for people with hemophilia, from the teenage years through adulthood.
Dental Care For Teens With Hemophilia
During the teenage years, good dental hygiene habits should be reinforced. Teens with hemophilia should brush and floss regularly and use a fluoride rinse every day.
Some teens with hemophilia require braces. In most cases, installing braces does not cause bleeding. However, it is important to let the orthodontist know about hemophilia so that special care can be taken to avoid cutting or irritating the teens' gums when bands and wires are placed on the teeth. If applying braces requires tooth extractions or any other kind of orthodontic surgery, be sure to consult first with both the hemophilia treatment center and dentist to determine what kind of pre-treatment is needed.
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Teens with hemophilia who wear braces should also conduct a daily finger check to make sure no wires are sticking out or poking into the gums. Applying dental wax over rough edges helps to protect gum tissue, cheeks, and lips.
The last teeth to appear, wisdom teeth or third molars, usually begin to erupt at age 17. Because these teeth cut through the gums, teens with hemophilia can experience prolonged bleeding and might need an antifibrinolytic agent or nasal desmospressin.
If the teeth aren't in the right position or if the jaw is too small to accommodate all the teeth, they may become impacted and need to be extracted. This procedure should be planned out with the dentist or oral surgeon and hemophilia treatment center. Dental extractions may require treatment with factor and an antifibrinolytic agent.
Dental Care For Adults With Hemophilia
With age, periodontal (gum) disease becomes a greater risk. In fact, it is estimated that more than 75 percent of people over age 35 have some form of this disease, which can lead to tooth loss and, in adults with hemophilia, more bleeding. Continuing to follow a sound dental hygiene program will help prevent gum disease or enable your dentist to catch the disease in its early, more curable stages. If dentures become the only solution, proper fit is important. Otherwise, the dentures can rub against gums and cause problems when eating.
Note: ThereForYou.com does not recommend a particular treatment for specific individuals and recommends that you consult your treatment center or physician before pursuing any course of treatment.
References
- Oral care for people with hemophilia or a hereditary bleeding tendency: Treatment of Hemophilia monograph № 27. World Federation of Hemophilia website. http://www.wfh.org/2/docs/Publications/Dental_Care/TOH-27_Oral-Care-Revised2008.pdf. Accessed June 8, 2011.
