While this remains one of the most common questions raised by both the patient and the attending dentist, the answer is yes. Tooth extraction may be done for patients with heart disease, but a lot of factors should be considered before doing the surgery.
Tooth Extraction With Heart Problems Consideration
A tooth that needs to be removed is a concern already, but considering that the patient also has heart disease, it can be alarming.
For someone who has heart disease that are getting any dental surgeries, it is always recommended to check with the cardiologist first. Some medicines that a patient is taking for their heart disease may have a side effect of excessive bleeding during and after the procedure. It is also important to advise your dentist ahead of time that you have heart disease, for them to prepare what is needed in case an emergency arises during the dental procedure.
For patients with hypertension, dentists usually provide a detailed process of taking care of your oral health after the surgery. This is due to the possible gum growth that may happen because of some medications for heart disease.
Do Dental Treatments Worsen or Contribute to a Patient’s Cardiovascular Health?
A study has been done to review if undergoing an intensive dental procedure may contribute to heart diseases. According to Medicaid, of 32,060 heart and stroke patients, 650 had a stroke upon backtracking their dental health history and 525 had a heart attack.
Once an invasive dental procedure is done for a patient with heart disease, a heart attack or stroke may appear within 4 weeks after the procedure. Due to this, some dental patients are afraid of having check-up appointments with their dentists. Some patients take medicines to lower their risk of having a heart attack or stroke. However, some dentists recommend not to take any medications before the tooth extraction procedure. If this has been requested by the dentist, it is important to consult a cardiologist first to discuss the possible risks or any medications that the patient needs or should not take.
Heart Problems That May Be Related To Dental Health
Chest Pain and Heart Failure
This is one of the most common heart diseases often experienced by many elderly. Chest pains are often felt in the lower jaw, then in the neck and throat.
Hypertension
An appointment to the dentist may be frightening and people who have hypertension often experience high blood pressure due to nervousness. It may also be an effect of anesthesia given by the dentist before the oral surgery. Most of the time, having symptoms of hypertension is a result of psychological reactions.
Congenital Heart Disease
This heart condition often happens to babies. As they get older, people who have this condition are required to have unique treatments for their oral health due to the possibility of having infective endocarditis.
Management Before and After Dental Surgery
Advising the dentist of the list of your current medications may help them decide on how to do a dental treatment or procedure that will not affect your heart disease. Giving your cardiologist’s contact details is also important for post-surgery treatments or in case an emergency happens during the tooth extraction.
Since getting a dental surgery may require anesthesia, you may request anesthesia that does not contain epinephrine. This may result in high blood pressure, chest pain, and heart attack instantly.
A dentist should look after his special needs especially if he just had a heart attack or is suffering from an extreme heart condition.
There may be some connection between heart disease and oral health. The American Heart Association has studied the connection between the two and proved that having poor dental health may lead to heart disease.
Having gum disease may potentially increase the chances of having a heart attack. The infection due to poor dental health may have risks to the bloodstream, not the heart itself. Aside from these reasons, diabetes may also be one of the factors in developing heart disease and these patients may contribute to poor dental health.
Perth Dentistry Expert’s Conclusion
Getting nervous before a dental treatment is dangerous for people with heart diseases. A visit to the cardiologist is recommended to check the current heart condition and if it can take the post-surgery treatments and dental pains.
