{"id":43,"date":"2020-07-11T19:16:19","date_gmt":"2020-07-11T19:16:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.avenidental.com\/blog\/?p=43"},"modified":"2020-08-11T19:21:21","modified_gmt":"2020-08-11T19:21:21","slug":"antibiotics-before-tooth-extraction-plymouth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.avenidental.com\/blog\/2020\/07\/11\/antibiotics-before-tooth-extraction-plymouth\/","title":{"rendered":"Will I Need Antibiotics Before My Tooth Extraction?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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For quite a few years, dentists recommended that many patients take antibiotics before undergoing certain treatments, such as tooth extractions in Plymouth. In 2012, however, a significant change in thinking took place. Current guidelines from the American Hospital Association (AHA) recommended a more conservative approach to the use of antibiotics. In this blog post, we will discuss why pre-procedure antibiotics are necessary for only a small percentage of patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Antibiotics and Infection Prevention<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Antibiotic prophylaxis (AP) is the term that describes the practice of patients taking a course of antibiotics prior to certain major dental or medical procedure. Such procedures might let bacteria sneak into the main bloodstream and cause infections, leading to a dangerous condition called bacteremia. Bacteremia can even affect the heart and lead to life-threatening complications, including an infection of the heart lining known as infective endocarditis. AP reduces the risk that such a serious situation will occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, in most patients, the body\u2019s immune system is more than capable of killing harmful bacteria in the blood before it poses a serious threat. AP is only a true necessity for a small minority of dental patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who Needs AP?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before a dentist prescribes AP, they must weigh both its risks and its benefits. While AP is very helpful in some cases, it does have some potential drawbacks. For example, some patients do not respond well to antibiotics. There is also a minor chance that antibiotic-resistant bacteria could develop within the patient\u2019s body. With such issues in mind, dentists only prescribe AP when its potential advantages outweigh its downsides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AP is generally only recommended for patients with certain heart conditions that increase their chances of suffering from serious bacteremia. Such conditions include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n