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What Sickle Cell Anemia Patients Need to Know About the Dentist

SickleCell

A good healthcare provider always makes sure that they have a full background on their patients, and that is especially true for dentists. As a patient, make sure that you are forthcoming with your dentist about any health issues you may have as well as giving them an extensive background on your health.

Your dentist can only provide you with the best care if they know what your medical history is. This is true for all patients, but especially for patients with Sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell anemia is a condition in which there are not enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout your body.

June 19th is World Sickle Cell Day and it is a perfect opportunity to speak to your dentist about your diagnosis.

Your doctor, dentist, and yourself, should work together as a team to create a perfect treatment plan for you. But, if you have recently changed dentists, or forgot to mention it, take the time to relay information about your disease to your dentist. This will allow your dentist to give you the best treatment possible by catering to your personal needs.

As a Sickle cell anemia patient, your dentist should strive for conservative and stress free procedures. It is also important to get your teeth cleaned during non-crisis periods and to keep your appointments short. Since there is not enough oxygen in your blood, it is vital that you and your dentist work together to ward off dental disease and infection, because, if you do get an infection, the healing process is very difficult.

As a patient, try to maintain excellent oral health to prevent infections and disease, and your dentist will do the rest in keeping your mouth in tip-top shape.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24400417
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sickle-cell-anemia/basics/definition/con-20019348
http://www.colgate.com/app/CP/US/EN/OC/Information/Articles/Oral-and-Dental-Health-Basics/Medical-Conditions/Physical-Disorder-Oral-Effects/article/Blood-Disorders.cvsp