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Australian Prescriber Vol. 30 No. 4 2007

Dentistry and medicines

Some people are nervous about visiting the dentist. Dental practitioners are aware of this and have several techniques to help the anxious patient. As some of these techniques involve giving a sedative, patients should tell their dentist what other medicines they are taking.

Medicines such as antidepressants can sometimes interact with medicines given by the dentist. Other medicines may cause a dry mouth or too much saliva, so again it is important for the dentist to know about all the patient's medicines.