Blood Pressure Checks
The staff at Dr. Jordan’s office just took your blood pressure. What? Why? There are several reasons for your dentist to check your blood pressure during your dental visits.
High blood pressure (hypertension) is known as the “silent killer,” causing about 60,000 deaths per year. It is the silent killer because it often goes unnoticed due to no obvious symptoms in some patients.
Some dental patients see their dentist more often than they see their family physician. Dentists are becoming the first person to diagnose hypertension in many of their patients, leading them to refer the patient to see their primary physician quicker and getting earlier treatment. This early intervention helps the silent killer to become known and prevent early deaths.
Besides the added benefit of early detection, hypertension can actually be caused by a visit to the dentist. If so, precautions need to be taken to prevent undesirable results.
The epinephrine in local anesthetics can cause hypertension.
“White coat syndrome” raises blood pressure in patients with dental anxiety and fear of dentists.
Pain and discomfort often affect the body in many different ways, including high blood pressure.
The staff at Jordan Dentistry cares about all aspects of patient health and obtaining a blood pressure reading at each visit is one way of making sure everyone is as healthy as possible.