On this page
Your dental appointment is already in the calendar. Since you booked it, your doctor has started you on a blood thinner. Do you need to tell the dentist now, or is the medical history form on the day enough?
The short answer: tell your dentist about the new medicine before your visit and update your history at the appointment. Better Health Channel explains that blood thinners may increase bleeding during dental treatment. Don’t stop or change them without medical advice. At Sienna Smiles, history and questions come before assessment.
What if I booked before my medicine changed?
Contact the practice with the update, even if the appointment itself hasn’t changed. The Victorian Department of Health’s medicine guidance says to tell your dentist about all medicines, including new or temporary ones. A medicine started after your last visit belongs in that conversation.
You don’t have to decide whether the booking should be cancelled or converted into a different appointment. Ask the dental team what information they need and whether the dentist needs to consider it before you attend. That is a question for the team, not a reason to guess at a medicine change yourself.
For example, you could say: “I have a check-up booked, and I’ve started a blood thinner since I made the appointment. What details would you like me to provide before I come in?” If a medicine has been changed or stopped on medical advice, explain that update too. Don’t describe an old prescription as though you still take it.
Why does this matter for a dental visit?
Your medicines are part of the information the dentist uses when considering dental care. Better Health Channel identifies bleeding risk as a reason blood thinners need particular attention. Its “Medications requiring special dental precautions” section says:
Do not change or stop these medications without medical advice.
— Better Health Channel, Teeth and medication, reviewed 29 October 2025.
That advice does not mean you should stop a medicine before every dental appointment. It also does not establish that every planned treatment can go ahead unchanged. Tell the dentist which medicine you take and what has changed, then ask what that means for the care being considered.
If you have found a stopping timetable online, don’t use it as your own instructions. This article does not provide a withholding interval, a blood-test target or clearance for a clean, extraction or other procedure. Those decisions need an individual answer from the clinicians caring for you.
What information should I have ready?
Have an up-to-date medicine list ready, rather than relying on “the small tablet” or the colour of the packet. Better Health Channel’s guidance includes prescription, over-the-counter and herbal medicines, including ones you have recently taken. The list below is a way to organise your update, not a clinical screening test.
- The medicine name as written on its label, and the directions you have been given.
- When it was started or changed, if you know, and what you understand it was prescribed for.
- The doctor or service managing it, with any written instructions they have given you about dental care.
- Your other current or recently used medicines, including products you buy yourself and herbal products.
- Any new mouth symptoms or bleeding concerns you need to discuss, and when you noticed them.
- Your dental booking details and the questions you want answered before agreeing to treatment.
If you are unsure of a detail, mark it as a question rather than filling the gap from memory. A current medicine list from your doctor or pharmacist can help you explain what you take. You can also ask the practice what information to bring and how it should be provided.
A new blood thinner may be the reason for your call, but it need not be the only update. Mention other new medicines and anything you have recently finished. The aim is an accurate history, not a list limited to the medicine you think is most relevant.
Do I still need to update the form on the day?
Yes. Include the change in the history you give at the appointment, and mention it when the clinician goes through your concerns. Sienna’s first-visit information describes reviewing medical and dental history with you before the clinical assessment begins.
You can make the conversation concrete: “This is new since my last dental visit. I called about it, and these are the instructions I have.” Bring any questions that were not answered beforehand. If you don’t understand an instruction, ask the clinician to explain it before you act on it.
For a first visit to Sienna, the published pathway allows 45–60 minutes. That is the clinic’s first-appointment allocation, not a promise about the length of a return visit or treatment appointment. Check the time allowed for your own booking, particularly if you have several questions to discuss.
What happens after we discuss my history?
Sienna’s published pathway moves from your history and concerns to assessment and an explanation of the findings. Our general dentistry information outlines the services at the practice. The check-up and clean page describes examining the teeth and gums, using an intraoral camera to show findings, and giving you a written oral health plan.
If further treatment is recommended, the clinic describes a written plan with itemised costs for you to consider. Use that discussion to ask how your updated medicine history affects the proposed next step. The name of the appointment you originally booked is not, by itself, an answer about your treatment plan.
You can ask what needs assessing now, what care is proposed and whether any further medical information is needed. Asking does not commit you to a procedure. It helps you understand the recommendation before deciding whether to proceed.
Which questions should I leave with answered?
Leave with a clear understanding of the next step and who is responsible for any outstanding medicine question. These prompts can help you check that you have understood the conversation:
- Have we recorded my current medicines and the change since my last visit?
- What have you found today, and what care are you recommending?
- Does any part of that plan need more information from my doctor or pharmacist?
- If I need individual medicine instructions, who will give them to me, and can I have them in writing?
- Who should I contact if my medicine changes again before the next appointment?
Don’t turn an unanswered question into your own instruction to skip, delay or alter a dose. The no-change-without-medical-advice guidance still applies. If you have a written instruction that seems different from what you have been told, ask the treating clinician to clarify it.
What if I’m already noticing bleeding or mouth changes?
Raise new mouth symptoms with your dentist, doctor or pharmacist rather than assuming the new medicine explains everything. Better Health Channel recommends seeking advice about new oral symptoms while taking medication. Tell the team what has happened and ask how promptly you need assessment; a future check-up booking is not advice to wait.
If bleeding is severe or you have a medical emergency, call Triple Zero (000). Better Health Channel’s bleeding guidance treats severe bleeding as an emergency. Don’t wait for a routine dental appointment or an online message response.
If your concern is also a dry mouth, our guide to dry mouth at night explains which symptoms to note for a dental discussion. It covers a different concern and is not a reason to change your medicine.
How do I update my Sienna appointment?
Call (08) 6276 8338 and tell us that your medicine history has changed since you booked. Have the medicine details and appointment date to hand. You can ask: “I’ve started a blood thinner. Does the dentist need any information before my booked visit?”
Sienna Smiles is at Shop 7, 10 Daintree Street, Hilbert WA 6112. Our contact page has directions and lists on-site parking. If you have not booked yet, tell the team about your medicines when arranging the appointment. Bring your current list and questions so the history discussion can start with what has changed.
Sources and scope
- Better Health Channel: Teeth and medication, Victorian Department of Health. Reviewed 29 October 2025. Medicine disclosure, bleeding precautions and advice about new mouth symptoms.
- Better Health Channel: Bleeding, Victorian Department of Health. Reviewed 19 November 2025. Emergency escalation for severe bleeding.
- Sienna Smiles: New patients, Check-up and clean, Contact and Our team.
Sources checked 7 November 2026. This is general information from published Australian guidance, not a personal medicine or treatment plan. Your dentist, doctor or pharmacist can advise on your circumstances. Reference: www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au.