Give me back my smile

Give me back my smile

KNH Dental Unit goes the extra mile

By Cynthia Cherono

KNH Dental Unit aims to provide the very best in dental health care services. Our highly specialized team of dentists, offer a full range of dental treatment using the latest technologies. These professionals receive continuous skills training from international and resident experts to ensure provision world class patient centered services. With state-of-the-art dental equipment, up-to-date techniques and modern materials, we are the dental center of choice in East and Central African region. KNH has private and general clinics and is continuously expanding its services. The department operates scheduled appointment-based clinics and also handles emergencies for critically ill patients. Welcome to KNH Dental Clinics, where we go the extra mile to make you smile!

The Dental department, offers comprehensive services such as Aesthetic Dentistry, Implantology, Oral Surgery, Pediatric Dentistry, Periodontics Prosthetics (crowns, bridges & dentures) and Restorative Dentistry. Dental health is a clinical specialty often ignored world over but has a lot of complications and it cuts across all ages, from newborn to adults. Speaking to KNH Newsline, Dr. Andeline Vilembwa head of unit and consultant Oral/ maxillofacial surgery, medicine and oral pathologist Dentistry, observes that “a lot happens that many people don’t know but we endeavor to serve patients with diligence and utmost care because our primary mandate is to provide health-care services to all patients”.

There are sub-sections dealing with different aspects and without one the department is not able to function effectively.

Oral/maxillofacial surgery/ oral medicine/oral pathology-Oral & Maxillofacial (OMF) Surgeons specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases affecting the mouth, jaws, face and neck. It requires dual qualification in medicine and dentistry, and is often seen as the bridge between medicine and dentistry, treating conditions that require expertise from both backgrounds.

Pediatric dentistry-This specializes in children 13years and below. They have the experience and qualifications to care for all pediatrics dental problems throughout the various stages of childhood including; filling, extraction, treating infections, supervise dentition and teach on oral hygiene.

Exodontia - It is the removal of a tooth from its socket in the alveolar bone with the help of anesthesia. It is a challenging procedure in itself as the dental surgeon has to work in an oral cavity.

Periodontal gum disease- Periodontal disease affects the tissues that both surround and support the tooth. It is characterized by bleeding or swollen gums (gingivitis), pain and sometimes bad breath. In severe disease, the gum can come off from the tooth and supporting bone, causing teeth to become loose and sometimes fall out.

Orthodontics- Diagnoses, prevents, manages, and corrects mal-positioned teeth and jaws, closing wide gaps between the teeth, improving speech or chewing ability, boosting the long-term health of gums and teeth, preventing longterm excessive wear or trauma of the teeth and misaligned bite patterns.

Prosthodontics- Deals with treating and handling dental and facial problems involving restoration and replacement of missing tooth and jaw structures. Prosthodontists are highly trained in cosmetics, dental implants, crowns, bridges, dentures, and temporomandibular disorders (TMJ/TMD). KNH recently did naso-alveolan moulding and surgical feeding plate for a child who was born with cleft before surgery.

Dental lab-A variety of products are manufactured or customized here as prescribed by a licensed dentist for provision of oral health care. They include crowns, bridges, dentures, prosthetic devices and therapeutic devices among others.

Restoration and conservative dentistry- This involves procedures for placing dental implants, fillings, crowns, and dentures and conservative restorative dentistry that keeps your teeth working well and looking good.

Dr. Vilembwa observes that emergencies are admitted through outpatient department to specialized ward (5A) for those requiring surgery and post-operative care, though bed space is still a challenge. She concludes by noting that the burden of dental problems is still quite high yet it is not given the attention it requires.

MAIN PHOTO: STEVE ARWA-Dr. Kilembwa the lead surgeon performing a surgery to refill the patients Clavicle bone before the patient receives prostrate teeth

By: Yvonne Gichuru