Please do not lie, leave out, or otherwise provide misinformation to anyone in the health field. We are genuinely trying to help you as best as we can and we can only do that if we have a complete history from you.

It is not a morality issue either.

For example, what you tell us can change our diagnosis and therefore your treatment. In other words, depending on how you answer my questions, it may be the difference between a typical filling or a root canal+core build up+crown. And for people with financial concerns (that’s all of us, right?), the choice may actually be between a filling and an extraction.

Misinformation also means that I will not be as [mentally] prepared for medical surprises, if they were to happen. Why would you want to possibly risk injury, infection, or possibly your life just for a dental procedure? You and I both know dentistry is important, but not more important than your safety.