5 Reasons Your Edison Dentist Takes Your Blood Pressure at Visits

When you go in for a preventive care visit with your Edison dentist, you may be surprised to encounter some of the same routines that occur at your primary care physician’s office. One of them is that you’ll have your blood pressure taken, and it may leave you wondering why. Thus, your local dentist is weighing in to explain why this is so important and serves as a way of both protecting and providing you with the absolute best care.

What Does a Blood Pressure Reading Monitor?

The blood pressure measurement gives a reading of how much force is pushing against the arterial walls as the blood is being pumped throughout the body. It’s important that your blood pressure be within the normal range (90-120 over 60-80) because it’s ideal for the proper transport of the vital nutrients and oxygen that your blood is essential for carrying.

Thus, your dentist – being a medical professional – will measure your blood just like your physician would for 5 different reasons.

To Screen for Hypertension

Some patients will visit their dentist more often than they would their primary doctor, so their dental appointments offer the best opportunities to identify high blood pressure. During the visit, the dental hygienist will take a blood pressure reading, and if an uncontrollably high measurement is taken, the information can be relayed to your physician so that you can stay out of harm’s way.

Identify White-Coat Syndrome

For others, the stress of visiting the dentist can cause unusually high blood pressure readings. If this happens to you, it’s not something to take lightly, as it can increase your chances of carotid atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in the arteries).

If not addressed, this syndrome can lead to hypertension and organ damage. Thus, the blood pressure reading can open the door to getting the help you need.

Reduce Pregnancy Complications

For expecting mothers, blood pressure measurements are important for both her and the expected baby’s health. A high reading could be a sign of a common issue with pregnancies called preeclampsia, where the blood pressure and protein content in the urine are abnormally high, signaling that the mother’s body is more acidic than normal.

Identify Diabetes

Diabetes has been called a silent killer, and consistently high blood pressure readings can be an indicator that the person is suffering from this disease. Because the early stages of type 2 diabetes – the most common form – usually don’t cause any noticeable changes, the high blood pressure reading can serve as an inroad to early detection and prevention of the major, adverse effects.

To Choose the Safest Anesthetic

When procedures are done that require anesthesia, your dentist will need to take a blood pressure reading so that he or she can determine the safest form of anesthesia to use. Therefore, you’ll be able to receive the dental care that you need without the worry of a new problem arising.

Health professionals, across the board, have one thing in common: to provide you with the safest and most effective care. Thus, your dentist in Edison understands the importance of taking your blood pressure at each visit to ensure that you can be as healthy as possible.

About the Author

A graduate of the New York University College of Dentistry, Dr. Steven Resnick not only provides expert dental care. He is also an educator, as an Associate Clinical Professor at the New York University College of Dentistry, in the Department of Cardiology and Comprehensive Care. Thus, he understands how important it is to always consider total wellness, even in addressing your dental health. To learn more about his services, you can visit his website.