Why your anaesthetist cares about your teeth

Before any case, one of our questions sounds odd: any loose teeth, crowns or dentures? It's not small talk. Your teeth are the first thing our instruments pass on the way to the airway, so a loose tooth can end up somewhere nobody wants it, and a chipped crown is a poor souvenir from a routine case.The same check covers your jaw, your neck and how far your mouth opens, because that is the route we plan before you're asleep. Nothing personal in any of it; it's the same checklist for everyone. General education, not medical advice.