her dentist never really asks about her overall health or routines outside brushing. It does make me wonder if they’re missing something by focusing just on prescriptions and hygiene basics.
This is exactly what’s been bugging me too—like, how can you treat someone’s gums without looking at the rest of the person? My nephew’s gums went wild during his finals last year and his dentist just handed over some mouthwash and antibiotics, no questions asked about what else was going on. I mean, if stress can give you a stomach ulcer, why not make your gums freak out?
Tracking diet and sleep is smart, though. I tried that with my own “mystery gum saga” and it was a mess—turns out late-night Doritos binges and four hours of sleep don’t make for happy gums (shocking, right?). Still, it’s tricky to pin down what actually helps since everything seems tangled up.
Has anyone here ever had a dentist actually ask about stress or allergies, or am I just expecting too much from a tooth doc?
You’re definitely not expecting too much. I’ve always thought it was weird how dentists rarely ask about stress or sleep, even though both can totally mess with your mouth. My own dentist finally started asking about allergies after I broke out in hives from a rinse—turns out it was the mint flavoring. Honestly, the whole body’s connected, but sometimes it feels like dental care is stuck in a bubble.
I get where you’re coming from, but I don’t think it’s fair to say most dentists just throw antibiotics at gum issues. Sure, some do, but a lot of us are actually pretty cautious with antibiotics these days—partly because of resistance, partly because half the time, they don’t even solve the root problem. Have you ever had a dentist talk about your brushing or flossing technique, or ask about your diet? I feel like that comes up more often now, at least in my practice.
About the “bubble” thing—I hear that a lot, but honestly, there’s a push lately to look at the bigger picture. I always ask about stress, sleep, and meds, but I’ll admit, sometimes it’s easy to miss stuff like flavoring allergies unless someone brings it up. Do you think it’s more about time constraints in appointments, or maybe just old habits? I wonder if patients expect us to focus only on teeth, so we sometimes fall into that pattern.
I’ve definitely noticed more dentists asking about my daily habits lately, especially since I got braces. Before, it felt like appointments were super rushed and all about the teeth, but now they’ll actually ask how I’m brushing around the brackets or if certain foods are bugging my gums. Still, it sometimes seems like there’s just not enough time to talk about everything—like stress or sleep stuff gets brushed aside. Do you think longer appointments would help, or would people just get impatient?
I totally get where you’re coming from. When I got braces, I felt like I suddenly had so much more to talk about at each visit, but there just wasn’t time. Honestly, I think a bit longer would help—especially for all the stuff beyond just brushing and flossing. But yeah, some people might not want to sit in the chair any longer than they have to...
