Premedication and Health
If you are a patient with a special heart condition, or you've had a joint replaced, taking good care of your teeth and gums is a must—not just for a healthy smile, but also for your overall health. During dental treatment, bleeding sometimes occurs. As a result, bacteria from the mouth can possibly enter the bloodstream and work their way to the heart. This presents a risk for some persons with cardiac abnormalities because the bacteria may cause bacterial endocarditis, a serious inflammation of the heart valves or tissues. If you have an artificial joint, the bacteria that enter the bloodstream might be able to grow on the surface of the joint and cause an infection. Antibiotics reduce these risks.
If you have taken medication prior to dental appointments to prevent infective endocarditis (also known as bacterial endocarditis and subacute bacterial endocarditis), please be aware that the American Heart Association has new guidelines as of April 2007.
Patients who have taken antibiotics routinely in the past but no longer need them include people with:
- Mitral valve prolapse
- Rheumatic heart disease
- Bicuspid valve disease
- Calcified aortic stenosis
- Congenital conditions such as ventricular septal defect, atrial septal defect and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Preventive antibiotics prior to dental care is advised for people with:
- Artificial heart valves
- A history of infective endocarditis
- Certain specific congenital heart defects (please ask for a detailed listing)
- Artificial joints placed within the last two years