Get your blood pressure checked before your dental appointment!
High blood pressure, also called HBP or hypertension, can affect your ability to receive oral healthcare. Performing dental treatments on patients with hypertension can be detrimental! If your blood pressure is too high, many dentists won’t schedule procedures until you receive a health assessment from your medical doctor.
What is high blood pressure?
The two forces measured for your blood pressure reading are the blood pumping out of your heart and into your arteries (systolic), and the heart resting between beats (diastolic). Normal blood pressure readings for a healthy individuals who are 20 years and older should be below 120 for systolic and below 80 for diastolic. If blood pressure readings are consistently higher than 120/80 then you’re probably suffering from hypertension. (more…)
cancer, and testicular cancer put together. But the more you learn about oral cancer and its signs and symptoms, the better able you’ll be to get an early diagnosis and more effective treatment should oral cancer happen to you. Oral cancer responds very well to treatment in the earliest stages.
Nearly 80% of American adults suffer from gum disease! Gum disease can devastate your oral health, causing serious dental problems. In fact, the number one reason for adult tooth loss in the United States is untreated gum disease. Worse, though, is the effect that gum disease can have on your heart health.
Nineteenth century novelist George Eliot once said, “Wear a smile and have friends; wear a scowl and have wrinkles.”
Why are we discussing cancer on a dental newsletter? Because dental health affects your overall health, and your smile is your dentist’s business. Oral Cancer is a little discussed cancer that is on the rise, despite the overall decline in cancer rates. Why? Awareness. Many people simply don’t talk about oral cancer. Your dentist wants to change that.
For a kid, losing baby teeth is the ultimate sign of growing up. They compare notes with their friends on how many teeth they’ve lost and who lost them first. And while your little one is just excited to show off the space where a tooth used to be, you may be wondering exactly what to expect about the departure of those deciduous teeth.