Did you notice the Medical History section of the new patient form handed to you at Fox View Dental? Green Bay residents may doubt the relevance of informing any dentist of their diabetes or heart issues etc. Are you tempted to just gloss over or block out this section and move on to what appears more connected to dental care?
Existing medical conditions, treatments and medications as well as lifestyle habits (such as smoking and drinking), should all be disclosed in the interests of preventing complications during dental treatments. Consider a frequently occurring scenario: you’re on medication for something completely unrelated to your teeth, but one of the medication’s side effects is “dry mouth”. Why would your dentist care? Because dry mouth prevents the regular, cleansing wash of saliva from clearing bacteria from your teeth, making you highly susceptible to gum disease and tooth decay. Armed with this knowledge, your dentist can help devise a pro-active plan to counteract such damage.
Sadly, if you are diabetic you automatically have an increased risk of developing periodontal disease. It will start with an unseen bacterial invasion of your gum tissue that untreated can lead to tooth loss as well as exacerbate other non-oral medical conditions. Divulging the state of your medical health allows your oral healthcare provider to hone in on areas most susceptible to damage.
Your De Pere Dentist
Medication used in treating serious health conditions – such as kidney, lung, heart or liver disease – can inadvertently interact with what a dentist might prescribe and cause complications and treatment failure. Any allergies should be disclosed for this reason as well. We strongly recommend this because we care about you at Fox View Dental and desire to assist you in maintaining your health! Without sufficient information, we can only do so much.
The dental care of Green Bay residents remains our primary mission, but remember to “tune us in” to all factors affecting your health and happiness! Give us a call today.