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Navigating the Dentist as a Patient with PF
Recently I booked a regular dental check-up and cleaning, which I realized I must not have done in awhile. When I updated the paperwork on my records, my health form did indicate that I had just been diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), which means my last dental visit was a couple of years ago. At that point, I don’t recall having any trouble breathing while they were cleaning my teeth but that certainly was not my experience this week.
I don’t know about you, but laying flat on my back since the decline of my lung function has become nearly impossible. Therefore, when I was in the dental chair I had to ask that they don’t lay it flat back which already made their job a little more difficult. They also had to be careful not to rest anything on my chest while doing the work, because I also can’t handle that right now without falling into a coughing fit. Lastly, they had to navigate around my oxygen tubing which fell across the front of my chest and onto the floor for my tank. I found I had to up my oxygen flow while sitting in the chair likely due to anxiety of being at the dentist, but also being inclined backwards.
Another difficulty that I had to work around while at the dentist was all the smells! I am very sensitive to certain scents now, and in a previous forum topic, I know many other patients with IPF experience this as well. I found the smells overwhelming at the dentist, between cleaning solutions, sterilization-associated smells, etc. and wanted to wear my mask to avoid having to deal with my increased sensitivity to scents. However, wearing a mask when they want to work on your teeth is counter-productive!
How do you manage being at the dentist as a patient with IPF/PF?
Do you have any tips/tricks to share?
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2 Replies
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Another interesting topic. Coinsidentally, I was just planning to make my next appointment. Things have changed since I’ve gone from a POC and walker to oxygen tank and a wheelchair. I can’t easily attach a tank to the walker. I just can’t figure out how to maneuver the chair in the cramped space and leave enough room for the dentist and techs to do their thing.
But, I’ve never been laid completely flat in the chair for a routine checkup. And I don’t remember ever having any tools/appliances set on me, except the heavy protection thing during xrays.
I think I’m going to have to get use to pulling around the oxygen on the cart until I can walk and not fall over. Balance ins’t my strong suit right now.
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Hi Terry,
Thanks for getting in touch with us, and welcome back to the forums…. I’ve been wondering how you are! How are things going?
This would definitely be something to consider, I can understand where your concern is coming from. Something that helped me when I was telling them all the different things I needed, and asking them to do things in a certain way to accommodate me, was thinking that they likely work with folks who use oxygen more than I am even aware of. This brought me some comfort, and made me feel less guilty for needing to ask them certain things. Hopefully they have worked on patients who use an oxygen tank and wheelchair before and have some ideas on how to make it most comfortable for you, and efficient for them. If you feel it is worth it, you could always call the receptionist in advance and explain your concerns? Perhaps she can brainstorm some ideas with you?
Are you able to lay flat in bed without coughing right now? I can no longer do this, so I didn’t even want to try in the dentist chair because I knew it would evoke a coughing fit. If you can lay in bed, it might be okay for you in the chair? I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it goes ok! Please let me know if you think of it, and sending you wishes for your balance to return to you soon. I can imagine this would be so frustrating!
Kindest regards,
Charlene
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