I’m back to address the pre-local anesthetic meals and the purposes that they serve. As you may remember, in my previous post I touched on the first two reasons: stress levels and satiation. Today, I will cover the effects of the meal on our energy level and will add some insight on meal suggestions and provide inside tips on the post-appointment nutrition.
- Keep your energy level stable for the duration of the dental procedure. We have to try to keep your blood sugar levels stable in order to keep your energy up. Unfortunately, high processed carbs give us some jolt of energy at first, but once our blood sugar levels drop back down to normal and even below normal levels, so does our energy. It happens fairly quickly due to our body’s response to high sugar content in a single meal. As energy level goes down, our stress levels go up. Our patients’ stress level may already be elevated from just being in a dental chair and as a result, some become cranky, tired, restless and sometimes even slightly lightheaded.
Trust me: I have had my share of dental visits throughout my life. You name the procedure, and I have had it. My strategy before long dental visit that requires me to be numb is to have a whole food meal that is high in protein, have plenty of healthy fats and tons of fibrous carbs (like fruits and veggies). And yes, as much as I love me some bagel with cream cheese, I do stay away from it on a day of my dental appointment. So, if I have an early morning dental visit, I usually have some eggs and bacon, definitely some fruit and a bunch of veggies. If you’re not into eggs and bacon (really?), you can have breakfast that consists of milk-based oatmeal, some yogurt, fruit or simply a home-made protein shake. Throw your favorite frozen fruit, good quality protein powder, whole or coconut milk in a blender and you have yourself a healthy version of Dairy Queen dessert.
If my appointment is in the afternoon, I will have a large steak, small potato and tons of veggies.
So, I hope next time we ask you about your pre-dental visit meal, most of you will respond with: “Oh, I actually read your recent blog and followed your recommendations!”
Now as a reward for reading this blog in full, I will let you in on my little secret on what I consider to be the best post-dental visit meal. In fact, this is the only reason I actually look forward to seeing my dentist. Just kidding: he is actually a pretty cool guy. So, my favorite post-local anesthetic meal is an ICE CREAM followed by more ice cream! The best part about it is that you don’t have to wait for the anesthetic to wear off to enjoy it!
Until next time. Stay healthy and well-nourished!
