Often a patient comes along for a dental check up and is annoyed when asked a few questions. Well, the few questions are actually quite a few- ranging from past medical history to any current medication the patient might be taking. The general response is a questioning glance which says “Why the hell you need to know that?”
It might feel weird when the dentist asks you questions like “Have you noticed changes in your general health” or “Have you noticed changes in your sleep patterns” or something on those lines. Well, if your dentist does not ask any questions and jumps to look in your mouth, I might as well suggest you to change your dentist.
A good dentist always takes a person’s medical history such as any current/past diseases, allergy to specific drugs, any drugs/supplements that they are currently undertaking. Although the idea that these are interconnected to your dental health might sound far fetched but the fact is these can have a major impact on your oral health or the treatment you have to undergo. You might like to read the connection between oral health and general health.
Let’s take a simple example to illustrate the point. Quite a few people take Vitamin C tablets and don’t think its worth mentioning about to the dentist. If that person undergoes a procedure that requires a local anesthetic, he might realize the effect of the anesthetic does not last long and feel intense pain after a while. This is because vitamin C causes the local anesthetic to metabolize faster which reduces the duration of numbness.
Another common problem is people who are on aspirin or anti-platelet drugs and do not communicate this to the dentist. According to AGD spokesperson Carolyn Taggart-Burns, DDS, “Excessive bleeding is a major concern with many dental procedures due to the extensive prescribing of blood thinners in America. Heart disease is so prevalent that many patients are on these drugs, which can complicate even the simplest procedure.”
Dr. Taggart-Burns reminds patients that it is very important “to communicate medical history with your dentist so that they can provide the best care possible.”
The case with a dentist is similar to a doc. You should communicate well with the dentist and provide all the information that he asks, not just what you think is important!
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