Tag: radiation treatment

All About Cavities

Cavities can best be described as tooth decay. As we all know, tooth decay is influenced by what we eat, how we take care of our teeth, and the amount of fluoride in our toothpastes. If your family has a history of tooth disease or teeth problems, then you may inherit it that way. This is very common, as many people inherit tooth problems that have been passed down from generation to generation.

Adults who suffer from a dry mouth are more at risk for cavities, as they have a lack of saliva in their mouth. Dry mouth is very common, and is normally the result of medications, illness, and radiation treatment. Tobacco users will also suffer from dry mouth, as the tobacco will use up the saliva in the mouth and leave the user with nothing to keep his or her mouth moist.

Cavities are a very serious situation, and if left untreated, can result in the destruction of the tooth. This can also destroy the nerves as well, resulting in an abscess. An abscess is very serious, as it infects the root tip. If left untreated, an abscess can result in death. Although you may not realize it, cavities are a very serious matter that can quickly spread to something even more serious.

If you visit your dentist on a regular basis, he will check for cavities. Without visiting the dentist, it is impossible to tell whether or not you have a cavity. Most cavities develop below the gums, and you wont be able to see them. If the cavity exists in the tooth, you will be able to see it, as it will change the color of the affected area. If you notice a color change or a blackened area in your tooth, you should make an appointment with your dentist immediately.

What you eat is a big contributor to cavities. If you eat a lot of sweets or drink a lot of soda, you will be at a higher risk for cavities. Foods that are rich in sugar or starch are eaten by bacteria found in plaque, which will produce acids that eat through teeth. This acid is very harmful to teeth, as it can eat through the dentin and enamel in no time at all. If you dont do something about it, the acid will continue to eat at the tooth until there is nothing left to say – leaving you no choice but to get the tooth extracted.

Over time, the tooth enamel will start to break down beneath the surface of your tooth, even though the surface will appear to be fine. Once the acid has managed to eat away enough of the enamel below the surface, the surface will collapse, which results in a cavity. After this has happened, if you dont get it treated, the tooth will continue to be eaten and the cavity will continue to spread until all of the tooth has been eaten, after which the enamel will be gone and your root will be exposed – which can be very painful.

Cavities will more than likely develop in the pits of chewing areas around the back teeth, between your teeth, or near the gum line. No matter where they occur, the easiest way to spot them is to visit your dentist. Your dentist will be able to do x-rays and find out just how bad they are and tell you what options you have. If you visit him in time, he will be able to save the tooth and stop the cavity before it spreads throughout your tooth.

Orthopedic Problems in Adolescents

Physical health problems encountered during adolescence can affect the development of the body, if not treated. There are few anatomic regions, such as spine, knee and ankle, in adolescents which can get orthopedic problems such as Osgood-Schlatter disease, and Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis.

Osgood-Schlatter disease is caused due to injury or overuse of the knee which causes swelling and pain in the area below the knee, above the shin bone. The patellar tendon and the soft tissues surrounding it gets inflamed, because of the constant pulling of the area where the tendon joins the below knee. Usually, adolescents who participate in sports actively and are athletic, such as football, basketball, soccer, ballet and gymnastics, tend to get the Osgood-Schlatter disease. Boys of age eleven to fifteen and girls of age eight to thirteen are at greater risk. The reason why adolescents get this problem is that their bones grow faster when compared to the tendons and muscles in this age and because of this the muscles and tendons stretch and become tight.

The symptoms of Osgood-Schlatter disease are swelling of knee, tenderness below knee area and limping. The doctor will check the medical history of the patient and will conduct physical examination and diagnostic procedures such as taking an X-ray. The physician will decide on the treatment to be done by studying the overall health, age, medical history, tolerance for certain medications and extent of the disease. Treatment will include medications, rest, compression, elevation, neoprene knee sleeve and physical therapy. The main aim will be to control and limit the knee pain by cutting down on the adolescents physical activities. Usually the Osgood-Schlatter disease gets healed over a period of time and in very rare cases is a surgery required.

Slipped capital femoral epiphysis is a problem which affects the hip joint. The ball or head of the thigh bone, also known as femoral head slips from the thigh bones neck. Because of this the hip joint becomes stiff and painful. Slipped capital femoral epiphysis is the most common disorder of the hip which can happen in both the hips or one and it is more common in boys when compared to girls. Basically, adolescents of the age ten to eighteen years and who are overweight can be affected by this condition. The condition can arise over a time interval of few weeks or years. The condition, if resulted because of trauma and is also called acute slip and if results after a period of time is called chronic slip. Slipped capital femoral epiphysis is caused because of medications, radiation treatment, thyroid problems, and chemotherapy.

There are three degrees of intensity of slipped capital femoral epiphysis, mild, moderate and severe. In mild slipped capital femoral epiphysis, only one third of femoral head slips from the thigh bone. In moderate, one third to half slips and in severe, more than half of the femoral head slips. The symptoms of this condition are pain in hip which increases upon movement, pain in thigh, knee & groin and limpness in the leg. When an adolescent walks there will be a clicking sound in the hip and his/her legs will be turned outwards.

Apart from studying the medical history of the patient, the doctor will recommend diagnostic procedures such as bone scans, X-ray, magnetic resonance imaging and blood test. The bone scans will determine the arthritic changes and degenerative changes in the joints, which helps to detect tumors & bone diseases and the cause of pain and inflammation. The X-ray will give the inside picture of the bones, tissues and organs. The magnetic resonance imaging provide detailed image of the structures within the body with the help of large magnets. It is best if slipped capital femoral epiphysis is determined in the early stages, so that the femur bones head doesnt slip off any further. The adolescent may need to undergo a surgery along with physical therapy.

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Iodine For Radiation Therapy-Treatment For Thyroid Cancer

Cancer is a disease we hear about far too often. In decades past we figured we would have cured cancer by now, and even though doctors and sentients strive to find a cure, there is not anything out there yet. Even despite there modern medicine has a variety of treatments with varying success to deal with cancer. The treatment required of course depends on the type of cancer and how early it was caught.

Thyroid cancer is one such type. Iodine for radaition therapy is one of the treatments for thyroid cancer. Essentially they pass radiated iodine through your thyroid gland in the hopes of eradicating the cancer cells. Like all radiation therapy there are problems with it.

Depending on how early the cancer is caught one of the preferred treatments is simply to cut it out. If caught early enough, the cancer can be confined to the thyroid gland and doctors may opt to just remove the tumor and infected tissue outright. This method has a very high chance of curing the patient entirely by removing all traces of the cancer. But like all surgeries it has it’s risks and if caught too late it is not even an option.

The best defense against cancer is to simply catch it early on. In almost all cases, if caught early enough it can be treated effectively. Surgery and Iodine for radaition therapy can work, but their odds of working are increased exponentially the earlier the cancer is discovered.

Unlike a lot of types of cancer out there, thyroid cancer has symptoms you can look for and check for yourself. Some of these symptoms can include a small tumor on the front of your neck, difficulty speaking, difficulty swallowing, difficulty breathing and pain in your neck.

If you have these symptoms you should immediately see your doctor and have them run tests to determine whether or not you have thyroid cancer. Your doctor will run standard tests to determine whether or not you have thyroid cancer.

If you do have it, then he will talk with you about it and give you options and information. If you are fortunate and do not have thyroid cancer then you will need to figure out what was causing those symptoms to begin with. Even if it is not cancer it still might be something serious so it is important you do not just give a big sigh of relief and call it a day.

Your thyroid gland is an important part of your body that regulates your metabolism and creates hormones that benefit a lot of other aspects of your body. You want to take care of it as best you can and get it treated if it does present a problem.

Cancer is a major issue and if you catch it early enough then surgery or Iodine for radaition therapy can help treat it and ultimately get rid of it. However if you wait too long it might be too late. So if you even suspect you have it then you should see your doctor as soon as possible as any delay could have dire consequences.