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Facial Prosthetics for Aesthetics

Facial Prosthetics for Aesthetics

–By Dr. Abhishek Bansal, M.D.S.

Prosthodontist and Maxillofacial Prosthetist

First impressions and beauty have become an important feature in society. Even a remaining unshaved hair on the face can create awkward moments for many, then what about people with injured and deformed faces? Maxillofacial traumas and deformities not only affect the physical appearance of the patient but also have a negative impact on psychological health, thereby affecting their familial and social life. Need for treatment and restoration led to development of Maxillofacial Prosthetics.

What is Maxillofacial Prosthetics?

Maxillofacial prostheses is the phase of dentistry that repairs and artificially replaces parts of the face after injuries or surgical intervention. The definition provided, although excluded the congenital facial deformities, nonetheless it is used for rehabilitating such deformities too. Maxillofacial reconstruction involves implanting artificial substitutes for deformed intraoral or extraoral parts such as eyes, ears, nose, maxilla, etc. Maxillofacial prosthesis is of two types: restorative and Complementary. What we provide and will discuss is Restorative Maxillofacial Prosthesis. It can be compared with the prosthetics used for legs and arms for convenience in daily life.

Do you need it?

Maxillofacial Prosthetics need is guided by the necessity to walk along the progressive demographic of our country. The treatment have an impact on the quality of life and self esteem of the patient by correcting any defect caused by any of the following reasons:

• Congenital abnormalities: birth defect, missing external ear, cleft lips by birth,etc.
• Lost or damaged maxillofacial organs after injury and trauma.
• Loss or damage caused by tumors or cancers.

Patients who have encountered any of the above circumstances need the maxillofacial prosthesis to reestablish psycho-social well being.

What if I do not take it?

Looks don’t matter to everyone. Some embrace the defect they were born with or induced by the injury and traumas. But is it healthy?Is prosthesis just for aesthetics?

Prosthetics makeup for the loss and damage in the body. Although it is primarily used for aesthetics, that is not the case. Loss of the organ can trigger a domino effect which can cause loss of muscle function of the associated organ, organ oriented problems such as unintelligible speech, difficulty in swallowing, facial collapse, eye-lid atresia, etc. Maxillofacial Prosthesis helps in preserving other functions of the face by ensuring its function and use.

Defects corrected by this therapy?

Maxillofacial prosthesis is done using various different materials, techniques and clinical approaches depending on the type and location of the maxillofacial prosthesis required. Following are the main four types of maxillofacial prosthetic therapies for the correction of the defect:

1. Ocular Prosthesis: Eyes have always been part of the conversation with anyone. Partial or total eye loss not only impact the vision but the self esteem and social life. Ocular prosthesis allows re-integration of the patient into the society.
2. Obturators: Patients with uni or bilateral defects have difficulty in chewing, swallowing, speech. Obturators are fabricated prosthesis to close the gap between oral and nasal cavities to address the issues associated with maxillofacial defect and trauma.
3. Ear Prosthesis: Also known as Auricular prosthesis, is used for providing artificial substitutes for lost auricle of the ear. While being aesthetically important, it helps in hearing especially in noisy environments.
4. Nasal Prosthesis: Nose makes up for the most differentiation among humans. Loss of nose ( partial or complete), has a tremendous impact on the looks of the person. Nasal prosthesis helps you return the differentiation you had from other humans and reduce any impact on psycho-social health of the patient.

Discussion

Maxillofacial prosthesis have aesthetic, psychological as well as physiological functions in the body. As discussed above, prosthesis have advantages that go beyond the looks and impression a person has on others. It helps in holding the integrity and  functions of the other associated muscles, tissues and organs. Facial defects have an impact on the aesthetics, multiple functions and psychosocial health. Maxillofacial facial prosthesis preserves the functions and the social standing a person has with confidence. For further inquiry on the Maxillofacial Prosthesis contact ELITE Clinic and feel confident again.