Your Oral Health and High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure can make or break your ability to receive dental health care.

It can be extremely dangerous to perform dental treatments on patients who have high or uncontrolled blood pressure.

For this reason, many dentists will take your blood pressure prior to your appointment, and if your readings are too high, you’ll need to have a health assessment with your primary care physician before you can get dental treatment.

What’s the Big Deal about High Blood Pressure?

A blood pressure reading is the pressure of blood within the circulatory system, and it is closely related to the rate and force of the heartbeat and the elasticity and diameter of the arterial walls.

If your blood pressure readings are higher than 120/80, there’s a good chance that you have high blood pressure, which could be detrimental for your heart. High blood pressure will increase the risk of organ damage, blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks.

What is the Relationship between Dental Health and High Blood Pressure?

High blood pressure can be a major problem when it comes to getting dental work. Blood pressure elevations can increase a person’s risk of suffering adverse effects in the dental chair, the most severe of which can include heart troubles or strokes.

Use of local anesthetics can also be a problem, especially those that use vasoconstrictors, and they can increase blood pressure even further.

It is also important to note that certain high blood pressure medications can also be bad news for your dental health. Some medications can dry out your mouth, which can make you more likely to deal with cavities or gum disease. Medications that contain calcium blockers can create over growth, while other options can alter the sense of taste.

If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, be sure to contact our office and share this information before your next appointment.