Is Tooth Extraction Safe for Heart Patients?

The body functions through interconnected systems. Therefore, when there is an issue with one area, your overall well-being will be affected. This is why your oral health will always affect your heart. This is why you need to see our dentist in Salmon Arm, BC, to get diseased teeth checked.

On the other hand, if you have a heart condition, you might be scared about getting dental care. This fear is valid since the underlying heart condition will mean that our dentist has to take special care to ensure that your health is not in danger.
If dental issues such as tooth decay are not dealt with, there is an increase in the risk of developing heart complications. So, a delicate balance has to be reached to ensure that you get the essential dental care and reduce the risk of inducing heart complications.

Why Get an Extraction?

Extractions are a necessary part of treatment, especially for diseased teeth. Before our dentist near you recommends that you undergo an extraction, all the other options are exhausted.

In other words, extractions are performed when there is no other option. So if there is an infection and it is not dealt with, it could lead to sepsis, which could be life-threatening. This means that you shouldn’t skip dental care because you fear it can trigger a stroke or heart attack. It is always best to keep infections at bay, especially if you have a heart condition.

Primarily, extractions can be performed to remove severely decayed teeth. The whole idea is to stop the infection from spreading.

Potential Complications After Extractions

As you may be aware, oral health and heart health are connected. When you undergo an oral surgical procedure such as dental extraction, there is an increased risk of heart problems.

A reason for the increase in heart complications could be inflammation. When there is acute inflammation, there is an increase in cardiovascular events. The idea is that dental surgery such as extractions can cause bacteria from tooth infections to enter the bloodstream, accumulate in the blood vessels, and cause inflammation. This is what makes patients vulnerable to stroke and heart attacks.

Researchers found out that the chances of patients suffering from heart conditions getting a heart attack or stroke increased a month after their dental work. However, the chances reduce and even subside after about six months. It is worth noting that the researchers recorded that the risk is transient, hence the decrease in the risk as time goes by.

Another possibility could arise when patients stop using anticoagulants before dental treatment. Clotting helps the extraction site to heal and deals with excessive bleeding. But, it’s the clotting that causes strokes. So changes in the use of anticoagulants could increase the risk of heart complications.

Should You Undergo an Extraction When You Have a Heart Condition?

Dental care is a fundamental part of your health care. This means that you cannot continue to have infected teeth hoping that it will go away or not escalate. Therefore, the wisest thing to do is always manage.

Each heart condition is to be dealt with differently. The goal is very simple, and it is to ensure that any change in the dynamics of blood flow during dental care shouldn’t exceed the patient’s cardiovascular reserve.

Any psychological and physiological stress during extraction can cause instability in blood flow dynamics. So, our dentist near you will always use a stress-reduction protocol to ensure that blood flow dynamics remain stable.

Our dentist will use the following strategies:

• Intraoperative and pre-operative conscious sedation
• Shorter appointments will most likely take place in the morning when the patient is well-rested
• Use of profound local anesthesia to reduce discomfort
• Excellent post-operative painkillers

Also, if a dental procedure involves bleeding, which is the case with tooth extractions, there is the chance that bacteria will use this opportunity to spread. So, you will receive antibiotics before the procedure that will help prevent bacteria from harming you.

Come to our office before you decide that you don’t want to get dental care when you have a heart condition. Contact us at Montebello Dental Clinic if you need expert advice.