Why does the dentist ask all those questions about your medical history?

Not many people realize that a dentist is just another doctor. They have to attend dentistry school, just like doctors have to attend medical school. If they want to keep informed of the latest developments in technology they must continue their education. They also attend seminars and lectures on the improvements in the field of dentistry. Some even write and publish medical papers that deal with dentistry. Dentists are doctors for our teeth and gums.

Dentists always ask about our medical history when we first see them. Many people do not understand why dentist ask these questions because they have the idea that our mouths have nothing to do with the rest of our body. These people are wrong. Think about it what goes into our mouth eventually reaches our other major organs and blood vessels through our throat. If we do not properly chew food we can choke, our gums and tongue contain blood vessels, and our teeth contain nerve endings, which send signals to our brains when they get hurt. So in actuality our mouths are connected to our body.

When you go to a heart specialist, a kidney specialist or any other specialist you must provide them with your medical history and a list of your current medications. You do this without even thinking twice about why the doctor needs to have that information, but because a dentist only works on our mouth we often wonder why he needs that information. Your dentist needs that information for the same reason your regular doctors do. Before they can treat you properly they need to know about your background and medications.

Disclosing medications:
This is an important thing to do whenever you see a doctor or dentist. Certain medications should not or can not be taking with other medications. If your dentist does not know that you are taking certain medications they can not know what kind of reactions you might have. Dentists like doctors can write prescriptions to help in your treatment. If you have infections they might have to write a prescription for an antibiotic that can treat the type of infection you have or they might write a prescription for pain killers to help control the amount of pain you are having.

If you do not tell your dentist what medications you are taking they might write a prescription for something that can have serious side effects when taken with your other medications. If they are aware of your medications they can treat your problem more efficiently. Also by informing your dentist of every medication you are on could be difference between life and death. If your dentist prescribes something that has the same ingredients of something else you are currently taking it could lead to an overdose.

When advising your dentist of your current medications make sure to include over the counter medications, as well as herbal remedies. Also be sure to inform them of any illegal drugs, because they can interfere with certain procedures.

Disclosing health conditions:
Disclosing your health conditions is also extremely important when receiving dental care because certain health conditions require special medication or treatment. For example certain heart may require antibiotics before you begin dental treatment or if you are taking a blood thinner your treatment needs to be tailored to prevent excessive blood loss.

By disclosing your medical conditions dentists can help monitor the effects oral disease can have on these conditions. For example if you are pregnant dentists will be on the lookout for gum disease because it can lead to premature birth and lower birth weights.

But the most important reason to share your health conditions with your dentist is to help them prepare for an emergency. By not disclosing a medical condition you are limiting what your dentist can do for you.