Head and Neck Anatomy - Reflection Paper

Head and Neck Reflection Anatomy Paper
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Head and Neck Reflection Anatomy Paper
My patient is a 40-year-old male with height and weight, 5’10” and weighs 190 lbs. He had a high risk of pathology due to his habit of smoking hookah daily for at least 3 hours. He has been smoking for 20 years. The patient had reported pain and midfacial swelling on the right side of the face. He had gone to the dentist the day before for a root canal treatment on the right maxillary first molar tooth (#26). Due to his excruciating pain, I advised him to see his physician for further evaluation. The following day we received a call from the hospital saying that our patient had passed away due to infected tissue from the root canal.
Neck and head regions are crucial points of leaning in health. The head and neck make up a complex system that contains delicate issues and functionalities. It is not only sufficient to learn about technicalities surrounding the head-neck interaction and apply the knowledge gained in solving clinical scenarios that result from deviations and pathologies that disorganize the normal system functioning. In this paper, I would reflect on the 40-year-old man, whose habit of smoking led to a pathological process, which occasioned his ultimate death. The paper will reflect on this clinical case while applying the differentiating approach and knowledge on the neck and head concepts, as espoused in course learning outcomes.
The swelling could be an indication of infection, which might have been preceded by oral infections, including periodontal disease, or decayed teeth. Smoking is one of the reasons that lead to oral pathology, especially on the aspect of periodontal disease. It is not only periodontal disease that is associated with smoking but also the development of oral lesions and oral cancer.
Smoking has been found to aggravate gum disease or periodontal disease. Smoking tends to weaken the body’s immune system, and this makes it difficult for one's body to fight gum disease. Once the gum disease occurs, it progresses due to its inability to heal as a result of a weakened immune system occasioned by smoking.
The gum is the pinkish and brown colored soft tissue that holds teeth in the bony sockets through the attachment of periodontal ligaments to the periosteum. It is part of the masticatory mucosa of the mouth, and it is impregnated by keratinized stratified squamous epithelium, where it covers the dorsum of the tongue and hard palate besides forming the gingivae. The gum is an anatomical structure, which is also called gingiva. It is a connective tissue that covered by mucous membranes, but extents its attachment through the periodontal ligament to the neck and alveolar bone.
In the course of learning, there are crucial spheres that have covered over time. One such area of education has been on dental health. The peripheral parts of the gingiva are quite free, but they appear to extend small wedges into spaces separating the teeth called interdental papillae. The periodontal membrane fibres entrench themselves deep into the gum and create a firm contact against the teeth. These gingivae create a seal around each tooth, by its strong bound t...