Perhaps you have toothache, a crown that has come loose, your wisdom teeth are threatening to erupt or maybe you are simply desperately in need of a check-up. Whatever the case, you need to go to the dentist, have finally managed to get an appointment and have even arranged to have some time off work in order to go to the trouble.
But there's one problem: you have a cold sore, and despite applying your tube of clinically proven cold sore cream, the lesion still lingers. What do you do? Well, we're sorry to break this to you but your dentist will not be keen on treating you while your cold sore is still active.
In fact, all but the most serious emergency dental treatments need to deferred in these situations. This is not simply prejudice against unsightly sores: by going to the dentist with an active lesion you not only place your dentist and her assistant at risk of infection, you also place yourself at risk of possible reinfection.
This is why dentists advise that sufferers of the Herpes Simplex Type 1 (HSV-1) virus wait until they have successfully treated their lesions with their choice of best cold sore cream before they attend appointments. Once you think about it, this may not be such a bad thing anyway: cold sores can be painful when cracked or bleeding and crusting blisters are no fun to have when you are painfully opening your mouth cavernously wide while under the glare of the dentist's forensic light.
It is also worth remembering that the virus can become worse when you are under stress, and there are few professional appointments as stressful as a mouth-stretching session at the dentist. It is also a good idea to consider that although cases of retransmission to other parts of the body are rare, it does happen and in order to reduce this possibility, you best avoid the dentist.
As for worries about upsetting your dentist or being charged a cancellation fee; try and give them good notice so that they have ample time to fill your appointment space with another patient. Even if you need to cancel at short notice, as long as you are apologetic and explain the circumstance, you should not have any trouble. After all, it is not your fault. And while you're waiting, keep remembering to apply Herstat, one of the best cold sore creams money can buy.
