Physical deformities are a fact of life. A well-off child from Westchase can have the same problems as a middle-aged man from Port au Prince if they draw the same genetic card. Fortunately for them, medical science has advanced to the point that simple physical ailments can be made better with simple procedures.
A few of these procedures include:
Cleft Lips and Palate
Cleft lips and palates can occur in infants regardless of where they are born. A hole forms in the palate or roof of an infant’s mouth, which may remain as an opening or cleft if the left and right sides of an infant’s face and palate if they fail to join correctly. Children with cleft palates may have difficulties developing speech and hearing and be susceptible to adverse development and ear infections.
Nearly all cleft lips and palates are treated at birth. For people who are not able to get the surgery early, they may still get it now. The tissues of the soft palate are connected and rearranged to cover the cleft.
Dental Implants
Dental implants are sometimes required for treating cleft palates. Bilateral cleft lip and palates may require dental surgeries as a patient’s lateral incisors may be missing due to their condition. Dental implants are also a must as gum disease, which leads to tooth loss, can, in turn, lead to worse diseases. Having no teeth to eat with can also put a hamper on a patient’s nutrition.
Implants replace tooth roots as solid foundations for permanent or removable replacement teeth made to look like the real thing. Dental implants fuse with the bone and, unlike dentures, would not slip out of place. They do not need to be removed and cleaned normally like regular teeth, removing the hassle associated with dentures.
Breast Reconstruction
Breast reconstruction is often needed by people who were forced to have a mastectomy due to medical purposes, either to prevent cancer from spreading to the rest of the body or to mitigate the risk of developing the disease. The procedure is also important for women who need to have their busts rebuilt.
Plastic surgeons reconstruct breasts by using artificial implants or a tissue flap from another part of the patient’s body. Both methods can be used at the same time. Reconstructed breasts can become sensitive to touch but may not achieve the same sensation as they did before.
Skin Grafting
Necrotizing flesh, extensive wounding, burns, and removal of skin cancers all require a form of skin grafting. Transplanting skin, known as skin grafts, are crucial to healing injuries that otherwise could not be healed.
Plastic surgeons can repair damaged skin with two kinds of grafts. Thin layers of healthy skin are peeled off from the donor section of the body to grow on the affected area. This method is the most common type of skin grafting. Full-thickness grafts are rarer and riskier, but the donor patch heals more quickly and feels less painful.
Not all physical ailments are life-threatening. A few can be lived with, but if it causes enough discomfort to disrupt a person’s life, they owe it to themselves to treat these ailments. Doctors and hospitals can be asked for these treatments’ prices, and insurance companies may cover them as part of their coverage.