Can It Affect Me, as a Dental Patient, with Heart Disease?

New Guidelines for the prevention of Infective Endocarditis were recently released jointly, by both the American Heart Association and the American Dental Association, which both recommend that fewer patients with heart disease may need to receive Antibiotic Prophylaxis before enduring dental procedures, to prevent a common heart infection, called “Infective Endocarditis (IE)”.

Antibiotic Prophylaxis is described as the prevention of infection using specific antibiotic treatment protocols.

After previous reviews of relevant medical literature, dating backward from 2006 through 1950, U.S. scientific community members have come to the decision that bacteremia resulting from daily activities is far more likely to produce IE, than any bacteremia resulting from a dental procedure.

Based upon these NEW conclusions, it is now recommended that the antibiotic prophylaxis be used as treatment for heart patients with underlying cardiac conditions, that are most associated with the highest risk of adverse outcomes from IE; such as patients with artificial heart valves, patients with a history of Endocarditis, patients with serious congenital heart conditions, or those heart transplant patients who have developed a problem with the heart valve.

For patients who may have received the prophylactic antibiotics routinely, prior to this new guideline, but is recommended that they may no longer undergo this treatment, could include the following:

People with * Mitral Valve Prolapsed, * Rheumatic Heart Disease, * Bicuspid Valve Disease, * Calcified Aortic Stenosis, and * other conditions that are listed in the www.ADA.org

Any patients that decide to stop taking blood thinners, without first consulting their Medical Doctor and their Los Angeles Dentist, should immediately notify the Dentists – prior to performing any dental procedure.

Not discussing all your medications and medical conditions can do much more harm and place you at a much higher risk, for experiencing a medical problem during a dental procedure, than not taking the medication at all.  In fact, in most cases, the patient is at a greater risk for simply stopping the medication, than not telling the Dentist, you are taking certain medications and performing the dental treatment.

MEDICAL ALERT TO REMEMBER:  Notify your Medical Doctor, if you are planning a visit to the Dentist.  Notify the Dentist, of all medications you are taking and don’t stop taking any of your prescribed medications, until either the Dentist, or the Medical Doctor tells you to do so.