Marijuana for Dental Anxiety

March 30, 2016

Filed under: Cater to Cowards — Tags: contraindications with marijuana, dental anxiety, epinephrine, local anesthetics, marijuana, marijuana and dentistry, medical marijuana, Oklahoma City Cater to Cowards dentist, Oklahoma City Dentist, pain meds, sedation dentistry — okcitydentist @ 1:51 pm

Is it OK to go to the dentist after smoking marijuana or will it mess things up? Dentists make me nervous. I think it’s not big deal, but my wife wants me to check.

Lewis – Oregon

Lewis,

You should thank your wife. There can be serious health risks if certain medications are used together. One of those is marijuana and epinephrine, which is a common ingredient in some local anesthetics. If your dentist doesn’t know that you’ve ingested marijuana, then you could end up with heart problems. If he knows, it’s possible to give you and anesthetic that doesn’t contain epinephrine. There are also pain meds that won’t interact well with marijuana usage.

The key is communication. Make certain your dentist knows EVERYTHING you’re taking, including over-the-counter medications, because you never know how it will effect your dental care.

There is another option if you’re uncomfortable with dental work…or dentists. Have you considered sedation dentistry? This can give you pain free appointments, without the complications of trying to self medicate. Talk to your dentist about it ahead of time. He or she will likely work with you. If not, you can always find a different dentist who is willing to.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Don Swearingen.

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Why does my child have extra teeth?

March 15, 2016

Filed under: Pediatric Dentist — Tags: ectopic eruption, extra teeth erupting, Oklahoma City Dentist, Oklahoma City Pediatric Dentist, pediatric versus general dentist extracting children's teeth, when to take a child to the dentist — okcitydentist @ 7:48 pm

I noticed today that my son has two extra teeth coming in behind his baby teeth. Do you know why? Is this normal? We haven’t found a pediatric dentist yet, because he hasn’t had any problems until now.

Janie S. – Colorado

Janie,

You didn’t mention how old your son was, but I suspect his adult teeth are erupting and not waiting on his baby teeth to evacuate the premises. If his baby teeth are loose, then I wouldn’t worry too much.

If the teeth aren’t loose you’ll want to take steps. My suggestion would be to have the teeth extracted. You don’t want them in the wrong position any longer than necessary. That will just cost you more money later with their orthodontic work.

I know you don’t say you have a pediatric dentist yet, but I’d suggest you see one now, just to have a peek. If you have trouble getting in, you can also see a general dentist who enjoys treating children. They’re qualified.

One thing I’d like to address is a common error that parents make, and that is waiting until there is an issue to take a child to the dentist. First, you don’t want their first experience to be a painful one. That will forever negatively impact the way they view the dentist. Secondly, getting them in before there’s an issue can prevent problems before they start.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Don Swearingen.

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