Dental work is an important part of maintaining your health, but you may be wondering how your dental visits could be affected by high blood pressure. Our team at Cornerstone Dental in Martinsburg, WV is passionate about offering safe, quality care to each one of our patients. Today we’re going over some of what you may expect when you need dental work and have high blood pressure.
Dental Work With High Blood Pressure
It Starts With Gathering Health Information
If you’re a new patient looking for some dental work, you’ll likely start by filling out our new patient form. This form will include your medical history. This allow us to keep your unique needs in mind as we carry out dental work. It’s important to let us know about any medication you’re on as well. Even if your blood pressure is well-controlled, anxiety can sometimes cause acute high blood pressure.
If you have high blood pressure and are anxious about your dental appointment, let us know beforehand. We will do our utmost to make the entire visit as comfortable for you as possible. We’ll also keep an eye on your health throughout the visit. Depending on what kind of dental work you’re getting, we may want to monitor your vital signs to make sure your blood pressure stays within safe numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Get Diagnosed With High Blood Pressure?
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is usually diagnosed after two readings that are higher than average. These two readings should be done in separate visits. There are three varieties of hypertension: chronic, acute, and white-coat.
Chronic hypertension is the most common form and involves patients who have blood pressure that is higher than average most of the time. Acute hypertension is temporary but involves very high numbers. Some patients suffer from what is known as white-coat hypertension. These patients seem to only have high blood pressure when they’re around their doctors, possibly due to anxiety.
In addition to working with your doctor, you may want to ask them about at-home tests if you’re concerned you may have white-coat hypertension.
Why Is It Important To Know My Blood Pressure for Dental Work?
High blood pressure can affect many aspects of your overall health, including the safety of dental work. Although we strive to create a calm and relaxing environment, it’s common for patients to experience anxiety during dental work. Some patients may also be in pain when they come in for dental appointments. Both of these factors can cause an increase in blood pressure.
Additionally, we use local anesthesia, used to numb the mouth, in some dental procedures. If it contains epinephrine, used prolong the numbing effect, this has been known to increase blood pressure we well.
Knowing all of these factors, and others, can cause your blood pressure to increase we need to know if you already have high blood pretty. If you have chronic or acute hypertension, we can use this knowledge to adjust your treatment plan as needed.
What Do I Do if My Blood Pressure Is Too High for Dental Work?
Dentists may avoid carrying out certain dental work on patients who have high blood pressure. This is especially true when it comes to more involved treatments that may require anesthesia. The last thing we want to do is put you or your body under unnecessary stress.
But, high blood pressure doesn’t mean you can’t receive dental work. It will just have to wait until your blood pressure is stabilized. The most important part of carrying out treatments is making sure we minimize risks as much as possible.
Ensuring that your blood pressure is under control beforehand will help us do our best to provide safe and effective treatments. If blood pressure spikes too high, it can put a person at risk for a stroke or a heart attack.
If we believe your blood pressure is too high to safely carry out dental work, we will likely recommend that you visit your primary care physician to discuss ways you can stabilize it. Once your numbers are within safe margins, we would be happy to set up an appointment and take care of your dental needs.
What Increases My Risk Level for High Blood Pressure?
Age
While anyone can suffer from high blood pressure, older patients are generally more likely to struggle with blood pressure than younger patients. That said, kids who don’t get enough physical activity, or have heart or liver conditions are at increased risk compared to other kids.
Gender
Men may be more likely to develop this condition before the age of 64 when compared to women. Then, after the age of 65, women may be more likely to develop this condition.
Genetics
If you have a parent or close relative with high blood pressure, you may be more at risk. Knowing your family’s health history can be helpful as you make lifestyle adjustments and plan for the future.
Weight
When a patient is overweight, their body has to work harder to bring crucial nutrients and oxygen to all their tissues. This may require that their blood vessels accommodate larger levels of blood flow, which can put pressure on the walls of their arteries.
Lifestyle
A lack of physical activity puts a patient at higher risk of becoming overweight or obese. Patients who do not get enough physical activity tend to also have higher heart rates, which makes the heart work harder to effectively pump blood with shorter contractions. This tends to put more strain on the arteries.
Smoking and Tobacco
Chewing tobacco and smoking can both immediately raise your blood pressure as a temporary effect, but there are long-term risks as well.
The lining of your artery walls can be damaged by some of the chemicals found in tobacco, which can lead to the arteries becoming more narrow over time. This can put you at higher risk of heart disease. Smoking has also been known to contribute to gingivitis. When it comes to smoking, even breathing in secondhand smoke can increase the risk of heart disease.
Diet
A small amount of sodium each day can help our body maintain healthy water and mineral balance, both contract and relax muscles, and conduct nerve impulses. That said, too much sodium can make your body retain fluid, which can raise blood pressure.
As you’re looking into your sodium levels, you may also want to make sure you’re getting enough potassium. Potassium can help your body balance its sodium levels, and help prevent excess sodium from building up in your blood.
Alcohol
Drinking alcohol in careful moderation may not negatively affect your blood pressure, but heavy drinking can eventually damage your heart. Your primary doctor can help you determine safe daily drinking levels according to your age, gender, and weight.
Stress
Stress itself can temporarily spike blood pressure, but stress can also lead to habits that could chronically increase your blood pressure. Drinking too much alcohol, using tobacco, or overeating are often ways patients self-medicate for stress, and they can negatively affect your blood pressure. Managing stress in a way that’s easy on your body can help decrease your risk levels.
Certain Conditions
Patients with diabetes, sleep apnea, kidney disease, or other conditions may be more likely to develop high blood pressure. We recommend scheduling an appointment with your primary care physician for a yearly check up.
Keeping track of patients high blood pressure before any dental work is one of the ways Cornerstone Dental provide safe dental care. Ultimately the best way to prepare for your dental visit is to reach out to us with any questions. We would be happy to help you better understand the process and get you set up for success.
Are You Searching For A Martinsburg Area Dentist For You Or Your Family?
If you’re searching for an experienced dentist please feel free to contact us online or call our Martinsburg, West Virginia dental office directly at 304.267.6059 to schedule your appointment. We provide a wide range of general dentistry care as well as more involved dentistry services for patients throughout the Martinsburg area and look forward to you joining the Cornerstone Dental family.
