medical marijuana Archives - Don Swearingen, DDS Blog

Will A Dentist Ask To See My Marijuana Prescription?

May 31, 2016

Filed under: Cater to Cowards — Tags: dental anxiety, local anesthetic, Marijuana at dental appointment, medical marijuana, nitrous oxide, Oklahoma City Cater to Cowards dentist, Oklahoma City Dentist, prescription marijuana — okcitydentist @ 6:41 pm

I have dental anxiety. I was thinking if I could just smoke a joint before my appointment, it would relax me enough to get through the appointment. I live in a state will legal medical marijuana. If I told him I had a prescription would he ask to see it and turn me in if I don’t actually have a prescription?

Name Withheld

Dear Anonymous,

You’re not the first patient to ask about the use of marijuana before a dental appointment. I’m going to suggest something completely different, especially since you don’t actually have a prescription. Why risk it?

There is something your dentist can do to relax you during your appointment without any risk of illegal behavior. Have you ever heard of nitrous oxide?

Nitrous oxide is sometimes called laughing gas. It will relax you all while allowing you to be alert during your appointment. It has the added benefit of helping any local anesthetic of being more effective.

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

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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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