There is no doubt that being a dentist brings you into contact with new people and experiences each day. Mrs. Gump would have appreciated the variety (“life’s like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get…”). For the child tasting her first few chocolates, as for the new dentist and her first few patients, the first bite can be quite memorable.

In this series, we are looking at patients that any new dentist might encounter (and how their software can impact the appointment) on their very first day in practice. The first patient had a number of prescription drugs that required consideration in terms of interactions and implications for dental care, and the second required a thorough examination and presentation of treatment options.

Your third patient:

A twenty two year old female with the following medical history and clinical presentation:

The history reveals early childhood onset insulin dependent diabetes.  She has had three episodes of hypoglycemia which required EMS attention in the past year.  Presents with grossly evident caries in several areas and is having pain in the maxillary anterior area that kept her up last night. There is slight edema in the lip above the tooth. Radiograph reveals a periapical lesion at the apex of # 9. She has not had breakfast this morning but did take her insulin because her boyfriend told her to. She seems a little sleepy.

Your responsibility – Review the medical history and medication list. Assess the patient’s immediate physical condition and vital signs, and determine if any immediate medical attention is necessary. Recall your emergency response procedure in case she has a fourth episode of hypoglycemia.

Choose a medication required to help manage the infection and pain, and determine if an operative intervention is indicated to manage the infection. Inform the patient of the problem, gather consent to provide dental care, and initiate a procedure to resolve the infection.

My Solution Using Dental Symphony:

• Expedite the collection of health history information (before the appointment) and examination findings – time may be of the essence if a hypoglycemic episode is imminent.

• View important details about her diabetes gathered by the medical history follow-up questions.

• Information about diabetes and its implication for dental care are automatically attached to her patient record. No searching necessary because she completed medical his­tory form.

• Should your patient have a hypoglycemic episode your office, You can use the Emergency Response system in Dental Symphony—it provides patient stabilization recommendations and clinical procedures.

• If you choose to refer this patient, a referral letter can be generated automatically with a few clicks.

Click here to schedule a LIVE online demo to see if we are  fit for your office!

Dental Symphony offers ePatient: the only HIPAA compliant Online Patient Registration System with the exclusive “Pre-Clinical Analysis” tool.

ePatient was created by Dentists for Dentists and is easily adaptable for any type of practice with free customization.