Does the dentist really need to know you have Type II diabetes or osteoporosis? Dr. Mingus, your dentist serving Redmond OR, acknowledges that the “Medical History” section of New Patient forms is more often than not being glossed over as people fail to see the relevance to their oral health. But don’t!
Although it may seem the majority of non-oral health conditions couldn’t possibly be of importance to your dentist, they are. Existing medical conditions, treatments and medications, as well lifestyle habits (such as smoking and drinking), should all be disclosed in the interests of preventing complications during dental treatments.
Really? Consider a frequently occurring scenario: you’re on medication for something completely unrelated to your teeth, but one of the side effects you experience is “dry mouth”. Why would your dentist care? Because dry mouth prevents the regular, cleansing wash of saliva from clearing bacteria from your teeth. Therefore, you are more susceptible to gum disease and tooth decay. Knowing this, the dentist will give those areas special consideration. Need more examples?
Drugs used to treat osteoporosis can result in jaw problems following the loss of a tooth. Informing your dentist of your condition ahead of time can save you agony later. Too, if you’re diabetic, you have an increased risk of developing periodontal disease and need to have particular attention paid to the health of your gums. As well, medication to treat serious health conditions–such as kidney, lung, heart or liver disease–can inadvertently interact with what the dentist might prescribe and cause complications and treatment failure. Avoid this by keeping your dentist informed.
Dr. Mingus is a dentist those in Redmond OR and area can trust has their best interests at heart, so start by creating not only a history but also your future with him today!
Thanks for the information. keep writing wonderful articles like this.