Dental Advice faq from Seattle Area Dentist

Thank you for your excellent question! Yes, it is important for the dentist to know if you are being treated for high blood pressure. Quite often, patients' blood pressures tend to rise when they arrive for a dental appointment! If a patient is being treated for such a condition, it is easier for the dentist to proceed with treatment. It is sometimes necessary for us to check a patients' blood pressure prior to beginning treatment. If the blood pressure is too high (or too low), we may not be able to proceed. It is also important to know about such medications so that we can watch for dental related side effects such as puffy gums and dry mouth.