You are probably aware that the health of the mouth is connected with that of the rest of your body. Whatever happens in the mouth affects the body and vice versa.
It is imperative that the person going in for dental treatment let the dentist know his/her medical condition so that he can deal with the oral problem accordingly. Usually, before you go to the dentist’s office all the information is obtained through oral and written questions. The dentist than determines, if any medical condition will affect or delay the dental treatment. He will then choose an appropriate approach for dental treatment.
Before any dental treatment, the dentists prescribe prophylactic antibiotic premedication. It keeps the bacteria in the mouth from spreading to other parts of the body.
As we are aware, the mouth has loads of bacteria. Simple actions of brushing and chewing can transfer bacteria to our bloodstream. Usually the bacteria get destroyed by a healthy immune system. But sometimes during dental procedures, harmful bacteria get into bloodstream and cause trouble. To stop this process, premedication of antibiotic is advised.
The following are some conditions that may have an effect on the course of dental treatment, where premedication are necessary part of treatment.
- Fainting: Fainting is very common in a dentist’s chair! It occurs due to hypotension and various other conditions.
- Diabetes: These patients have low resistance to infections and are susceptible to periodontal disease. They have poor healing response and may have excessive bleeding during dental procedures.
- Hypertension: Increased heartbeats and other symptoms put these patients at high risk for dental procedures
- Heart problems: Cardiovascular Disease, Rheumatic heart disease, Congenital heart defects, Coronary artery disease, Myocardial Infarction, and Congestive heart failure are some of the diseases of heart where the dentist has to keep a certain arrangements ready during dental treatment
- Kidney diseases: These patients have impaired renal functions resulting in accumulated fluid in the body. They heal poorly and bleed excessively.
- Lung diseases: Asthma, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Bronchitis, Cystic fibrosis, Pneumonia, Tuberculosis, Lung cancer, are some of the major lung conditions where the dentist has to plan the dental visits keeping the particular condition in mind.
- Brain diseases: Meningitis, encephalitis, Epilepsy, Head injuries, brain tumour, and Stroke include some conditions of the brain where the dentist has to make special arrangements for dental procedures.
These are some of the conditions of patients who come for dental treatment where the dentist will have to take extra preparatory steps to ensure that the patient does not suffer damage due to the dental procedure and side effects of actual procedure and medications.
The dental expert involved in the treatment has to consult with the patients’ medical examiner and physicist for the entire history and medication he is taking and plan the dental procedure accordingly. Different conditions demand different treatment and preparation. For example a patient who suffers from seizure has to be seated in such a way that direct light does not fall on his eyes, as this may trigger a seizure.
For an asthma patient, an inhaler, or medication kept ready in case of an asthmatic attack. Patients suffering from blood diseases are advised to go for only emergency dental treatment as their blood loss during treatment can prove to be detrimental.
Foe patients who suffer from infectious diseases, the dental treatment should be postponed if it is not urgent. In non-elective treatment, these patients are usually scheduled to be the last patient of the day.
Above all the medication that patients take for their various ailments can cause a reaction at any time. Therefore it is imperative for the doctor to get all information about the medications of patients and it is equally important for patients to tell their dentist about any medication, even minor, to the dentist. Medicines react in various ways and sometimes counteract and diminish effects desired. Some medicines react and bring on alarming side effects.
Make sure that you tell the dentist of all medical conditions before you start treatment.
