• Dental Phobia Support

    Welcome! This is an online support group for anyone who is has a severe fear of the dentist or dental treatment. Please note that this is NOT a general dental problems or health anxiety forum! You can find a list of them here.

    Register now to access all the features of the forum.

Dealing with shame.

I think you are missing the point. The teeth are connected and not a seperate part. Your bp as much as it is an uncomfortable subject is a real concern to to a dentist or any other health care provider who will be performing a procedure on you.

Last year I was referred a patient for an occlusal guard. He did not not to fill out a medical history form as I was just going to take a couple of impressions and make this plastic device. Of course I avoided the initial conflict by talking about causes of tooth grinding or bruxism at night.
Short answer a significant factor of his bruxism was caused by sleep apnea which was exacerbated by his medication to help him sleep. That medication that he took to help him sleep which no longer served that function according to him is also a suspect in causing mental function decline.

Another patient of mine recently needed emergency treatment for his hypertension that I picked up on. The year before he had a stroke because of the same incident.
I understand your point. However I see the PCP at least every six months. If there was a real issue that would make dental work a problem, she would most likely want me to start taking bp meds. They have all my medical history. If that isn't enough for them, then I know I can find a dentist that doesn't take blood pressures. To the dentist it may not seem like a big deal, but to me it's life and death. You can say I'm blowing things out of proportion, but you have no clue what it feels like to be judged simply because my bp is 130/82 on average. I never realized the stigma attached to that diagnosis. That diagnosis has destroyed my life. Dental work is a breeze to get through. It's the shame of feeling judged that gets me the most now. Sometimes it's the little innocent comments that hurt the most. Them taking my bp would just give them something else to shame me with. I doubt 130 would render it dangerous to receive dental care. Otherwise I'm sure you wouldn't be doing nearly as much work. I can't be the only one with a pressure that high.
 
Jab.
Although some dentists may ask for this to be done, I can say that of all the dental work I've had done in like the last 5 years which has included implant surgery other surgeries, extractions and plenty of work I have only had them take my blood pressure one time.. once. that was for the root canal retreat by an endo I didn't know. So There should definately be some that would be perfectly fine with your request on a regular basis to not have bp taken. Not sure how often others have theirs taken. I hope they can really consider your request and if not you can find someone who you are comfortable with that wouldn't require it , at least until trust is earned and only for major work at that.
 
Jab.
Although some dentists may ask for this to be done, I can say that of all the dental work I've had done in like the last 5 years which has included implant surgery other surgeries, extractions and plenty of work I have only had them take my blood pressure one time.. once. that was for the root canal retreat by an endo I didn't know. So There should definately be some that would be perfectly fine with your request on a regular basis to not have bp taken. Not sure how often others have theirs taken. I hope they can really consider your request and if not you can find someone who you are comfortable with that wouldn't require it , at least until trust is earned and only for major work at that.
Yea very few dentists in our area take blood pressures. This is the place I'm most comfortable, but this is a big deal for me. Not sure if I want to go to a place I may not be as comfortable simply because they will work with me on this issue. Perhaps I just got to find a way to suck it up and deal with the bp lecture because they are the best when it comes to dental work. In my mind I'm not sure why I have to make that choice. It shouldn't be that difficult. If they could tell me why it's medically necessary to take my bp prior to my cleaning (or whatever else they're doing)I wouldn't fight them. I honestly don't want to be difficult. I just want my wishes respected or at least tell me why it's medically necessary. I've never had my bp taken by a dentist, and never had an issue. I'm just tired of the lecture.
 
The only time I had my bp taken (and monitored) during a dental procedure was when I went under GA to extract my wisdom teeth and 4 premolars for braces. I didn't have my bp taken any other times that I've been to the dentist.

There are valid reasons why dentists may take bp readings. An example I read was from another poster here on this forum. She had her bp taken before she was due for an extraction and as her bp was too high (180/120) the extraction could not proceed as planned as she could end up bleeding severely. I guess patients at a higher risk may get monitored a little more for certain procedures.. I don't know. But I'm not sure why they would need to take readings everytime just for a regular cleaning though.

Just a thought: If knowing the why prior helps you, perhaps you could let them know that bp readings triggers you and ask them to explain why it's medically necessary?
 
The only time I had my bp taken (and monitored) during a dental procedure was when I went under GA to extract my wisdom teeth and 4 premolars for braces. I didn't have my bp taken any other times that I've been to the dentist.

There are valid reasons why dentists may take bp readings. An example I read was from another poster here on this forum. She had her bp taken before she was due for an extraction and as her bp was too high (180/120) the extraction could not proceed as planned as she could end up bleeding severely. I guess patients at a higher risk may get monitored a little more for certain procedures.. I don't know. But I'm not sure why they would need to take readings everytime just for a regular cleaning though.

Just a thought: If knowing the why prior helps you, perhaps you could let them know that bp readings triggers you and ask them to explain why it's medically necessary?
I did tell them all that at my first appointment, and they still need to have the conversation anyhow. I will talk to them again when I go back in August. Yea if they could show why it's medically necessary I wouldn't fight them. I would be horrified by it (just like I am when I go to my PCP), but I wouldn't fight it. I know it's just part of their operating system, but it's really a trigger of mine. My PCP recognizes how serious this is for me, so they are very cautious how they approach the issue. I'm starting to think they actually care more about me than my numbers. I want the same thing from my dentist.
 
I think you are missing the point. The teeth are connected and not a seperate part. Your bp as much as it is an uncomfortable subject is a real concern to to a dentist or any other health care provider who will be performing a procedure on you.

Last year I was referred a patient for an occlusal guard. He did not not to fill out a medical history form as I was just going to take a couple of impressions and make this plastic device. Of course I avoided the initial conflict by talking about causes of tooth grinding or bruxism at night.
Short answer a significant factor of his bruxism was caused by sleep apnea which was exacerbated by his medication to help him sleep. That medication that he took to help him sleep which no longer served that function according to him is also a suspect in causing mental function decline.

Another patient of mine recently needed emergency treatment for his hypertension that I picked up on. The year before he had a stroke because of the same incident.
I'm sorry I frustrated you. I honestly don't mean to be difficult to any dental team. I suppose I just don't know how to communicate to the dental team just how much of a trigger this is to me. Perhaps we could come to some kind of agreement. I'm baffled they have never mentioned anything about my bp when they were extracting 2 wisdom teeth or having a filling done. It's only at my cleanings that they need my bp. That's why I'm struggling to see the medical necessity of it. Sorry.
 
Please understand that my postings were just to explain that it is reasonable for the dentist to obtain your BP prior to treatment. Dentistry isn't an isolated part. Just like it is reasonable for some dentists to take blood, give some drugs, or listen to breath sounds when appropriate. Of course this is from a dentist who completed a hospital based residency.
As another point a few years ago I had sedated a patient for some implant surgery. She had recently been checked out medically and was considered healthy. About an hour and half into surgery her blood pressure went up high into 180-200/110. At this point I gave her a sedative that would lower her pressure some and she had no pain nor was she anxious. She also hadn't received any more local anesthesia for awhile so there was no reason from my perspective for her to be this hypertensive. Finally after a couple of bouts of this crisis I stopped all my treatment and concluded care for you. I explained to her that I have seen this before and typically this happens at early onset to hypertension. I gave her the anesthesia record and said to return to her physician for care. She is now on medication for her hypertension. The difficulty of diagnosis with hypertension is that your BP can vary. For some it is often higher around medical/dental environment. This is why many doctors recommend frequent monitoring if your pressure runs on the high side.
 
If they could tell me why it's medically necessary to take my bp prior to my cleaning (or whatever else they're doing)I wouldn't fight them. I honestly don't want to be difficult. I just want my wishes respected or at least tell me why it's medically necessary. I've never had my bp taken by a dentist, and never had an issue. I'm just tired of the lecture.

If I got you right, then all you wish for is being treated with respect for your boundaries and getting information about what your dental team would like to do and why and then make you accept it or not. It sounds like you told them this was a real boundary for you and them asking again makes you feel not listened to. I believe I would feel this way too, especially if it's about a procedure that is obviously being handled differently in different practices. It communicates a sense of 'you have to fit into our routines'. I really hope they made a proper note this time and understood how important this point is for you.
 
Please understand that my postings were just to explain that it is reasonable for the dentist to obtain your BP prior to treatment. Dentistry isn't an isolated part. Just like it is reasonable for some dentists to take blood, give some drugs, or listen to breath sounds when appropriate. Of course this is from a dentist who completed a hospital based residency.
As another point a few years ago I had sedated a patient for some implant surgery. She had recently been checked out medically and was considered healthy. About an hour and half into surgery her blood pressure went up high into 180-200/110. At this point I gave her a sedative that would lower her pressure some and she had no pain nor was she anxious. She also hadn't received any more local anesthesia for awhile so there was no reason from my perspective for her to be this hypertensive. Finally after a couple of bouts of this crisis I stopped all my treatment and concluded care for you. I explained to her that I have seen this before and typically this happens at early onset to hypertension. I gave her the anesthesia record and said to return to her physician for care. She is now on medication for her hypertension. The difficulty of diagnosis with hypertension is that your BP can vary. For some it is often higher around medical/dental environment. This is why many doctors recommend frequent monitoring if your pressure runs on the high side.
Those sound valid to me. I could deal with it better if they could give me a definitive medical reason why they feel they need to take it.
 
Back
Top