Today, I would like to tell you about how anticoagulant drugs can affect your dental appointment if you forget to mention that you are taking them.
The first time you go to a dental office you are always
asked to fill out some forms. Some of the information that you are asked to
provide is your medical history. It is
important for the dentist to know if you are healthy, or if you have health
problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems etc…
It is also important to provide a list of all
the medications that you are taking, since some medications may cause problems
with procedures done by the dentist. Let
me give an example:
Many mature adults take daily anticoagulant medicine to
prevent a stroke caused by a blood clot.
A blood clot could travel through the circulation and cause an
obstruction not only in the brain, but also in other parts of the body, like
the heart, the lungs, the legs, etc…
There are many drugs currently used for this purpose, with
names like Plavix, Xarelto, Pradaxa, and others, but the most commonly
prescribed is called Coumadin (the generic name is Warfarin). Since these medications affect the
coagulation of the blood, the person taking it is likely to bleed more and
longer than normal, and they need to make the dentist aware that they are on
this medication.
When a person taking an anticoagulant needs an extraction or
some surgical procedure, they need to consult with their physician in order to
modify or stop the anticoagulant therapy about a week before their dental
procedure in order to get their clotting ability back to normal to avoid
bleeding during or after the procedure.
Other substances that have anticoagulant effects are natural
remedies such as ginger, fish oil and vitamin E. It is prudent to discontinue these a week
before any dental surgery.
One more related drug that is very important to mention is
Aspirin.
Many individuals today take a daily aspirin, and aspirin also has anticoagulant properties. It should be discontinued one week before the dental surgery.
Many individuals today take a daily aspirin, and aspirin also has anticoagulant properties. It should be discontinued one week before the dental surgery.
So whenever you go to your dentist for a surgical procedure,
please update your health history with a list of all the medications you are
taking (prescription and non-prescription) and this will help him (or her) plan
your procedure in the safest way possible.
I hope this information will be useful to you in the future.
Dentist In West Palm Beach
Carlos Boudet, DDS, DICOI
1840 Forest Hill Blvd, Suite 204
West Palm Beach, Florida 33406
Phone: Call 561-968-6022
Carlos Boudet, DDS, DICOI
1840 Forest Hill Blvd, Suite 204
West Palm Beach, Florida 33406
Phone: Call 561-968-6022