Need For Antibiotics to Support Dental Procedures

American Heart Association has recently announced that antibiotic treatment is no longer required for the prevention of infective endocarditis which prevails in certain dental patients. With this announcement, many people tend to think whether antibiotics are required before other dental procedures.

Well, the answer of this questions is ‘yes’.

American Dental Association and American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons suggest patients to get antibiotic treatment before any dental procedure which could be required any time during two years following a total joint replacement treatment. Patients with compromised immune systems or the ones with certain health conditions are also required to get antibiotic treatment before certain dental treatments.

Patients with artificial heart valves, previous history of history of endocarditis, congenital heart conditions, and transplanted heart are also required to get antibiotic treatment before certain dental procedures, as suggested by AHA and ADA. A patient with any problem with the heart valve is also going to require antibiotic treatment prior to certain types of dental treatments.

You may not require any antibiotic treatment before the dental treatment if you have one or some of the following conditions:

• mitral valve prolapse
• rheumatic heart disease
• bicuspid valve disease
• calcified aortic stenosis
• certain congenital heart conditions

There are certain dental treatments on which the updated guidelines can be applied. Those dental treatments mainly include teeth cleaning and tooth extraction. The updated dental health guidelines mainly suggest taking care of the dental health in such a way that invasive and non-invasive dental treatments could be avoided. Moreover, the guidelines also suggest sticking to preventive dental care in such a way that the need for antibiotic treatment before dental treatments could be eliminated.

The updated guidelines are based on comprehensive studies which tell that infective endocarditis can occur if bacteria enter the bloodstream. Having that said, it is quite important to make sure that you are taking care of your oral health and hygiene because poor oral hygiene can eventually lead to the gum disease. And then bacteria find their way to the bloodstream.

Practices best oral hygiene on daily basis is important. Make sure that you are brushing and flossing your teeth on daily basis. Moreover, you are going to have to make sure that you are visiting your dentist regularly.