Skip to main content

Drugs affect your dental health and your dental treatment


You may not have considered the impact prescription medications and even over-the-counter drugs can have on your oral health, and on the dental treatment you receive.
Informing us about your medication history and what drugs you are currently taking is essential because of dental health effects, potential side effects and possible interactions with drugs the dentist might use during treatment or prescribe.


We sometimes prescribe antibiotics with certain dental procedures. But, if you are taking oral contraceptives, be sure to let our dental staff know. Taking tetracycline or penicillin could reduce the effectiveness of an oral contraceptive. This includes drugs often used in dentistry, such as ampicillin, amoxicillin, oxacillin and penicillin V.
If you have heart disease or a special heart condition, it is critical that we know your medical status. During dental treatment, bleeding may occur and cause bacteria from the mouth to enter the bloodstream and work its way to the heart. This presents a risk for bacterial endocarditis, a serious inflammation of the heart valve. We can prescribe antibiotics for appropriate procedures, such as teeth cleaning, to prevent endocarditis. Likewise, let us know if you have an artificial joint. Antibiotics are recommended for some patients with artificial joints who also have some other medical conditions.
Knowing what drugs to avoid in patients with medically complex conditions is also important. For example, if you have peptic ulcer disease, we will avoid prescribing drugs that are irritating to the gastrointestinal tract. If you are on anti-depressants or beta blocker, your doctor can reduce the amount of ephinepherine used, if necessary.
A very common side effect of many drugs, such as antihistamines and antidepressants, is dry mouth. Inadequate saliva flow in the mouth can contribute to cavities and gum disease. We can help you deal with this condition.

Source  Dr. Valerie de Leon, Millbrae Smile Center

Comments

  1. Thanks for the nice blog. It was very useful for me. I'm happy I found this blog. Thank you for sharing with us,I too always learn something new from your post. Invisalign Milton Keynes

    ReplyDelete
  2. Make sure that you have a long list of options. The next thing that you should do would be to create your own shortlist. diabetic juice

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Apple Invents a new Health feature for AirPods that will provide diagnosis & monitoring of Bruxism

Today the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that relates to a possible future health related feature regarding the diagnosis and monitoring of bruxism using motion sensors in AirPods. Teeth grinding and jaw clenching (bruxism) are the most common parafunctional behavior manifested during sleep and awakeness. Awake bruxism has been mostly associated with emotions like anxiety, stress, frustration or tension. During sleep it causes sleep disorders and arousals. Individuals are mostly unaware of the occurrent and severity of their bruxing habits. The unawareness results in a myriad of orofacial muscle pain and dental consequences like teeth damage, wear and fractures. Commercial devices in dental practice to monitor and treat bruxism are expensive, inconvenient for frequent daily use. For instance, Polysomnography (PSG) studies that target the monitoring of sleep bruxism, require patients to sleep in a clinical setting overnight. Further,

Esthetic Oral Rehabilitation with Veneers

Porcelain veneers had long been considered to be only an esthetic solution. However, their range of indications has been steadily increasing, making ceramic veneers a highly viable alternative to classic, far more invasive forms of restorative treatment. Today, veneers can be used to handle esthetics (discolored teeth, fractured and worn teeth, diastemas, dental defects, etc.) and to restore the biomechanics of the dentition, as well as many other indications. Classifications of Veneer Preparations Referred to as no, minimal, or conventional preparation, veneer classifications—or lack there of—create a large gray zone of misunderstanding and miscommunication with patients and within the dental profession. Left unanswered, questions regarding tooth structure removal, finish lines and margins, and other aspects can cause confusion in practice. Flaws and inaccuracies in previously proposed preparation guidelines make those guidelines irrelevant . To dissolve uncertainty, this v

Orthodontics for Esthetic Dental Treatment: Symbiotic Efforts for Optimal Results

Human fascination with beauty and esthetic trends is continuously evolving; moreover, public awareness and desire to improve facial appearances are at the highest level. This trend of heightened public awareness and expectation is paving a new way of dentistry toward a more comprehensive approach with esthetic principles at its core. The oral health of the patient and his or her dentition are fundamental in dental treatment. However, the final esthetic outcome should be among the first steps in treatment planning. The ideal esthetic approach in dental treatment planning often requires a multidisciplinary approach engaging various dental professionals. This process requires thorough communication among dental practitioners and a basic understanding of what each discipline can provide. FACIAL ANALYSIS Facial evaluation is an integral part of patient examination. It starts with evaluating facial symmetry, as symmetric faces are considered more beautiful than those that are n