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Before your visitDiabetes, blood pressure or a blood thinner? Fill in this card and bring it with you.
Print this card or copy it onto paper. Fill in your medicines, your condition and your last blood sugar or blood pressure reading. That way the dentist can plan your treatment around your health. Do not stop or change any medicine on your own: that is for the doctor who prescribed it to decide.
Your medicines
Every medicine you take, not just the ones for one condition. If you don't know a name, or your medicines were prescribed outside Jordan (they can go by a different name here), bring the boxes with you; that is completely fine.
| Type | Name of the medicine | How often | When you last took it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blood thinner | |||
| Diabetes | |||
| Blood pressure | |||
| Heart | |||
| Bones or osteoporosis (tablets or injections, even if you've finished them) | |||
| Other |
If anything needs arranging around your dental appointment, it is decided with your own doctor, and the dentist coordinates with them and tells you beforehand. On the day, do not change your eating or medicine routine on your own: skipping food while on diabetes medicine can drop your sugar while you are in the chair, so keep something sweet in your pocket, just in case.
What to tell us before your appointment
| Tell us | Write here |
|---|---|
| Your condition, and when it was diagnosed | |
| Your last blood sugar or blood pressure reading, if you know it | |
| Any allergy, to a medicine or anything else | |
| Any operation or treatment, even years ago (for example cancer treatment or radiotherapy to the head and neck) | |
| Pregnancy, and how far along | |
| Your own doctor and their number, here or back home |
What to ask your own doctor
Ask them before your dental appointment:
- Is there anything about my treatment the dentist needs to know?
- Do I need a report or a blood test before an extraction or surgery?
- If I need a painkiller after dental treatment, what suits my condition?
Fill it in and bring it to your appointment, along with any report from your doctor. If that's easier, read it out to us when you call.
Questions people ask
Does diabetes affect your teeth and gums?
Yes, mostly through the gums: high blood sugar makes gums get inflamed more easily, and inflamed gums make blood sugar harder to control. So treating your gums is part of looking after your condition, not a luxury, and it runs on two tracks together: gum cleaning and treatment at the dentist, and keeping your blood sugar in range with your own doctor.
What painkiller is right for someone with diabetes or high blood pressure?
The right painkiller for you is decided by the pharmacist or a doctor, based on your condition and your medicines. That is why it helps to list all your medicines on the card and show it to them, and to ask your own doctor before your dental appointment. And no painkiller tablet on the tooth or gum: it burns the tissue and makes the pain worse. If you have diabetes, swelling or a fever can't wait. If there is difficulty breathing or swallowing, or the swelling has reached the eye or the neck: go to the nearest hospital emergency department now, not an appointment. Otherwise call now, and if the clinic is closed or you can't reach us, go to the nearest hospital emergency department. Don't wait.
I'm on a blood thinner and need an extraction. What do I do?
Do not stop or change any medicine on your own: that is for the doctor who prescribed it to decide. In many cases an extraction on a blood thinner goes ahead, but the plan changes: extra steps to control bleeding, and sometimes the dentist coordinating with your own doctor before the extraction. So write it on the first row of the card, and mention it on your first call.
Pages that go with this one
This card is to help you prepare, not a diagnosis or a prescription. The decision is made at the examination, and in coordination with your own doctor when needed.