Your Personal Habits Affect Dental Health

Ever wonder why your dentist asks so many questions about your medical history and health?

New patients who come to our practice are often surprised by the thorough medical history we collect. We ask about your medications, how much you exercise, how you relieve stress, and even if you use homeopathic treatments. Why does all of this matter?

At Schutte and McKnight Dentistry, we’re dedicated to helping you understand how your oral health and even your appearance fits into your overall health and wellness. Your dental care is one component of the health and fitness of your entire body. We want to help you understand how medications and your personal habits affect your dental health, in addition to how your dental health contributes to your overall wellness.

These are some of the issues we want to hear about in your medical history:

• Smoking: In addition to being destructive for your overall health, smoking leads to yellow teeth, bad breath, inflammation, increased tartar and plaque, bone loss in the jaw, gum disease, and oral cancer.
• Diabetes: Your risk of gum disease, cavities, dry mouth, and other conditions is impacted by diabetes. At the same time, poor oral health can make diabetes worse and infections in your mouth can cause blood sugar to rise.
• Heart disease: Research shows that several types of cardiovascular disease such as heart attack and stroke are linked to oral health. We need more research to understand exactly how, but it’s clear that oral bacteria can enter the overall bloodstream when the gums are not healthy.
• High blood pressure: Some patients are surprised to see blood pressure cuffs in our offices, but the American Dental Association says that taking blood pressure is an effective, noninvasive way for dentists to dramatically impact a patient’s health.
• Medications: The medications you take have a big impact on your oral health, and we will work together to help you understand the relationship. Antihistamines, decongestants, painkillers, diuretics, and drugs used to treat depression can cause dry mouth, which limits the saliva to wash away food and neutralize acids. For women past menopause, osteoporosis drugs are very effective in avoiding bone loss, but your dentist needs to help you monitor their impact. Your dentist needs to know about all of your medications and help you understand their impact on your oral health.