Dental work after surgery. Totally confused and then WOW!

mikeccolella · May 21, 2017

Hello freinds,
I'm kind of new here and a bit confused
When I look this subject up on when its ok to have dental after valve surgery on this forum I get the following answers:

you do not have to wait, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year. Thats quite a spread. So I checked with AHA and they told me on the phone that the guideline for a prosthetic valve was amoxicillin 2 gms. One hour prior to the procedure/surgery and told me there was nothing regarding a wait time. Then I found this on a dental site and the following quote blew me away:

" Contacted a physician who serves on the AHA committee that writes the premedication guidelines. He said there were no treatment delay guidelines, because no treatment delays were needed after heart procedures. He stated that if the patient feels well enough and sufficiently recovered, there is no need to delay treatment"

my source: http://www.rdhmag.com/articles/prin...lumns/staff-rx/delay-after-heart-surgery.html

so why all the different answers???

honeybunny · May 21, 2017

I suppose folks were given different advice from their cardio depending on their personal health history. I would feel comfortable with the AHA info.

Are you needing dental work done right away or is this a general question? Have you discussed it with your doctor?

Ryanvs · May 21, 2017

Good Morning (here anyway),

FWIW I had dental work after around 8 months (a clean)and had amoxicillin around 1 hr pre opp. I ran this past my cardiologist who said there are no guideline re: wait time (that he is aware of anyway).

I guess the reason for the conflicting answers is simply because no one has established a definite answer re: time frame to wait post op?

RobThatsMe · May 21, 2017

Well,
Interesting article. So if I am reading it correctly, you basically should wait about 6 months after OHS to have dental work, and that when you do, pre-medicate.
I look at it this way, Better safe than sorry.
During teeth cleaning, it is easy for gums to bleed, as the hygienist sometimes has those "opps" moments, and your gum gets a cut,
Bacteria lives in the mouth of everything, from animals to humans, so why risk a bacterial infection from an open wound, when all you have to do is pre-medicate for the procedure. A "no-brainer" for me, and have been doing it for years.
Now, should you chose not to, well, just read up on the risks and stories of those that have contracted endocarditis.

mikeccolella · May 24, 2017

I did ask my surgeon and he said 3 months. I just had two teeth extracted and of course I did a pre-med. however The AHA position is clear in that there is NO WAIT TIME REQUIRED, but it seems confusion reigns on this issue. My cardio said no wait time and my surgeon said 3 months. So I played it safe and waited. Thank you all for replying!

mikeccolella · May 24, 2017

I did ask my surgeon and he said 3 months. I just had two teeth extracted and of course I did a pre-med. however The AHA position is clear in that there is NO WAIT TIME REQUIRED, but it seems confusion reigns on this issue. My cardio said no wait time and my surgeon said 3 months. So I played it safe and waited. Thank you all for replying!