I had a stent put in, in July of this year and since then a tooth that I had a filling done to it about two and half years ago is giving me problems. The filling has come out and the tooth has broken at the root. Obviously I will have to come off the blood thinners but then that frightens me in case I get a blood clot on the other hand if I do not come off the blood thinners for a short time if the tooth i removed the bleeding may never stop.
Anyone else had a tooth removed whilst on blood thinners!!
Written by
Surreychica_1
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
No I not have tooth ache. It is just that the filling has come out and the tooth has broken at the root and wobbles about. I cannot chew on that side of my mouth at all. But thank you for your good wishes
I know but I am afraid of the bleeding. I do no want to bleed to death. He will have to cut right into the gum to get the root out and I bleed a lot at the slightest touch. I have bruises all over the place and if I prick myself I bleed like anything so I need to know for sure if the bleeding will stop if he cuts into my gum which he will have to, to get the root out.
I had a tooth extracted last year due to an abscess.
I am on clopidogrel which I did not stop taking. I had a appointment at the end of the day so there was plenty of time for me to bite down on the wedge of gauze used to stop the bleeding.
My dentist then made me rest for 30mins lying down under his watchful eye.
I was collected by my husband no problems no excessive bleeding. Relief all round my pain gone as a tooth abscess is very painful!
I am sure your Dentist will take good care of you. Blood thinners delay your blood clotting they do not stop your blood from clotting completely.
Thanks for that. I am pleased to hear that your tooth extraction went well. I have had a abscess on the gum as well, but because he removed a nerve when he will filling in the tooth. I cannot feel a thing!
That is what I thought. He did tell me to ask the doctor and I have an appt. on Wednesday, not sure if she will be able to say though as she is not a cardiologist. Thanks for that. Wish I could see a cardiologist though. I have seen four, not one of them have opened their mouths. Just done the test not a goodbye or how do you do. No reply to any of my questions, just stabbing at a piece of paper with his pen! That was it. Took me over two years to get an angiogram.
Agree. No the system is not like that here. I cannot just ring or get in touch with one of the cardiologists I saw. Not like in the UK where my friend can ring hers and who has also rang her. The system is different. I have never had another appt., since I had my stent put in nor am I down for any future appointment. Seems odd to me I have to say.
Well they kept telling me that the palpitations I was experiencing were "normal" and lots of people had them etc etc. It was dreadful as they got worse and worse for longer periods of time and shorter periods of time in between, added to which by then I also had chest pains when I exerted myself, but they still kept telling me it was normal. I had to get my doctor friend in the UK involved so that I could get an angiocram organised. Just as well I did as I did have blocked arteries after all.
To reassure you a little bit, Dentists usually have special dressings for when the bleeding doesn’t stop and they can also pop a stitch in which helps.
As above It’s also a good idea to have the extraction booked at the end of a session to give enough time for the bleeding to stop.
I had an abscessed tooth removed about a month before bypass surgery and a broken one about a year after. Each time medication was continued as normal. However, each time I sat quietly biting down on a pad for about 30 minutes in the waiting area. By then the bleeding had stopped and did not restart.
My problem was despite requests I was refused prophylactic antibiotics each time. Both times I developed a bad infection 7 - 10 days later and needed a week's course if horse antibiotics. As your's is broken I think prophylactics would be a good idea as food particles will probably have got in the socket.
Contact your GP/cardiolgist about the blood thinners and prophylactics as dentists tend to read their (not)NICE guidelines and not detour from them. Good luck!
Thanks for that. I will take note and have written down what you have said. I am sure I am getting infections. I keep having ulcers and currently have canka on my tonsils and have already had an absess on the gum where that tooth is.
I have purchased an antiseptic spray as the doctor did nothing and only referred me to a specialist. three weeks later I am still waiting.
I tried the salt one. I couldnt hack that. I will get an antiseptic mouth wash tomorrow. I do use a spray, but there is also a mouthwash of the same make. having said that for today I will take your advice and rinse my mouth out with salt water. Thanks for that.
Funny thing I have a loose molar tooth just been to my dentist today and he’s arranged to remove it on Friday regarding blood thinners he told me to take my medication as normal he thinks because it’s already loose there won’t be much bleeding and if there is he can control it
I too had a HA year last August had 2 stents fitted and just found out I’ve got heart failure
So watch this space I’ll let you know how I get on
Oh dear we seem to be in the same boat! However only part of my tooth is loose. The root is not so he will have to cut away part of the gum. There isnt much left of the tooth, my dentist will have to cut into the gum.
Yes let me know how you get on. I will be interested to know. Hope all goes well.
Sorry to hear you had a HA and now have heart failure but with the right medication HF is able to be managed.
I had three teeth removed but had to go to hospital dentist to have them done had no problems they Packed the holes with something to stop the bleeding then put stitches in
Well that is what I thought. That a hospital dentist is better. Dental treatment is not on the national health except having a tooth removed. I am seeing my doctor tomorrow so I will try and get that organised. Thanks for that.
A few years ago my tooth collapsed, down to the gum line. Since it was a tooth with an old root canal, which kills the inside of the tooth, the tips of the molar had fused with the jaw bone. Prompt action was needed because of the risk of endocarditis. In Tunisia, they have a specialty for difficult tooth extraction. This surgeon agreed to see me, in outpatients. We discussed the INR and when I showed him this paper ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/161... he agreed he could operate if the INR was less than 4. Most people function below that level. He required a same-day test result, which a local lab were happy to provide. I told him I easily gagged, so please take care. He agreed to not block the back of the throat so I could continue to swallow. I told him I could not have unaesthetic with adrenaline in it. He was OK with that but warned me it would hurt more. I was fine with that.
The work was long and difficult. He first slit the gum -- on the cheek side so that my tongue would not touch the wound. He split the tooth top into the three roots, then, working deep, sawed out each root from the jaw. He then filled the holes with dressing and stitched me up.
In the next six months I never once had bleeding gums. Success! The unfortunate counterpart of such anti-bleeding dressings is that the natural healing process is impeded. The natural way is that a big pool of blood clots in the wounds and begins the healing. The impaired way meant the jaw was exposed, and it hurt, and being on warfarin I was not permitted some of the usual pain killers. I was able to sleep, but, during the day, it was agony. I was reassured by the fact that this pain was normal, did not indicate danger, and that it would pass in a few weeks.
Twenty years ago, same surgeon, I was treated with the Heparin Bridge, ie a week in hospital. The method (less often used these days) was to stop the anticoagulation and put me on an intravenous heparin drip, stop the drip for the operation, then restart it. That night I haemorrhaged. I was not worried at all. As my mum used to say, a little bit of blood goes a long way. I tried all the tricks I knew to stop the bleeding, including my wife staying up all night, taking it in turns to apply pressure. Next morning the surgeon looked and saw the problem -- a very very tiny capillary, unsealed. So, back to theatre, no more chances, cauterisation.
The pain afterwards was minimal, but the bleeding continued for six months. I was told by the surgeon that the wounds had to be kept clean even if there was some bleeding, since minor bleeding can be cleansing. Hydrogen Peroxide (oral strength) was my answer since hydrogen peroxide attacked the food particles trapped in the wounds.
The danger of bleeding with a tooth extraction is extremely low, since it is highly visible and in tiny amounts. Cheap hydrogen peroxide stops bleeding without damaging the gums as most mouth washes do. I hope you can negotiate a good, prompt solution, and that it does not hurt too much.
I have been to see the national health dentist now who only do extractions but I have to have an x-ray done first so now I am waiting for an appointment for that. Not sure when that will be. That link was very interesting. I will have to remember the bit about no adrenalin, however I am hoping they will know what they are doing. Thanks for sending that. You used hydrogen peroxide in your mouth!! Is that just as good as a mouth wash. I am wondering what mouth wash to use as I have now developed what they call "dry mouth" and so I do not produce saliva at night and I need a good mouthwash.
Thanks. You raise several points. The dentist I knew abroad had his own computer/screen/x-ray + camera. But the extraction required a panoramic. Perhaps you can go private just for that? Or visit France/Spain/Tunisia etc.
All experts need tactful reminding, in advance if you can, so that they have it in stock for you.
Hydrogen Peroxide. NB you need oral strength. 3% 10 Vols (old unit). If you use skin wound or disinfectant strength you will be in serious trouble. Yes, oral strength peroxide is a disinfectant. It reacts fast and creates a froth of oxygen bubbles. It attacks food particles which may be trapped in the wound deep down and which are inaccessible to a soft brush.
My peridontologist (gums) was against all mouthwashes, since they damage good cells as well as bad.
I too have big problems with a dry mouth at night. I sometimes choke. Menthol crystals on a nearby saucer help. I have trained myself to sit up, put a sip of water in my mouth, then swallow or spit out. Next is a sip which I sort of gargle.
I live in Spain and I will go with the national health, the dentist knows that I am on blood thinners. Also the hospital in Malaga have the required x-ray equipment. I could go private but that would be costly bearing in mind I get it free on the National health and they are aware of my predicament.
Interesting what you say about mouth washes as I had heard that they were not good however with dry mouth I need something to wash away the bacteria in my mouth at times.
With "dry mouth" I use tape and tape my mouth shut so that I breath through my nose and I am hoping that eventually I will automatically begin to breath through my nose instead of my mouth. My dry mouth is so much better taping my mouth shut as I salavilate now and do not suffer as much as I did before.
The problem of my dry mouth began when my nose seemed to get blocked up as teh day wore on, however I am now using a spray so that I can breath through my nose.
I do know where you are from but there are lot of products to help with dry mouth and seal the lips so that you breath you nose. Because of dry mouth I have had ulcers, abscesses and cankar in the throat. It is a lot better now that I seal my mouth at night.
I will try the hydrogen peroxide and the measures you have given. That is great to know about that.
Thanks for that information. Very helpful I must say.
How did you know? Since childhood I have breathed through my mouth, especially when the air is cold. It has become a habit. I cannot risk taping up my mouth because of coughing mucus at any time, day or night. But, daytime I could choose to breath through my nose so as to get used to it.
If you are in Spain, have you checked how much a panoramic xray costs? According to treatmentabroad.com/costs/d... it is around 50 pounds. I would pay that rather than wait. The longer you wait the greater the risk of an infection getting to your heart. Yep, the dreaded "endocarditis". For me. a cracked tooth, with delayed treatment, probably led to endocarditis and rupture of the strings of the mitral valve. That meant surgery followed by six weeks of intravenous.
Yes I have checked it out and yes it is about 60 euros and the another 60 euros to remove the tooth. However I do not wish to push my luck with having a tooth removed before I know what to do about the blood thinners.
I breath through my nose during the day, it is just at night and my mouth is a lot better taped up. I was dubious at first I have to say, but it is really not uncomfortable at all.
That is awful about your tooth. Would not my doctor know about that, she has said nothing to me about it!
A dental bleed is visible, trivial in amount, does no damage to other organs, and is relatively easily stopped. This is the least of your problems with a tooth extraction.
Well it does worry me. I hit my toe the other day and it bleed for over 24 hours!! At first the amount of blood was awful. You would have thought I had been stabbed multiple times.
What are the other problems then!! Apart from what you have already mentioned and that is that I could suffer from damage to my heart! Is that what you mean!
I agree, it can be frightening when a small cut simply will not stop bleeding.
What puts me off about a tooth extraction is the pain afterwards, though that varies enormously. Also, those on warfarin cannot usually take many pain killers ... the NASID type. I suggest you plan in advance to have several different ones available and try to see what works for you.
But, the longer you leave it the more likely it is that you will have complications. The more likely it is that an infection will dig in and touch your heart. In the end, my fear of endocarditis (always fatal if unsuccessfully treated) dominated my other fears and I used that fear to help me control the other fears.
Yes I am on apixaban and find it much easier to cope with than warfarin. Everything has gone so smoothly that when I was due for an extraction I didn't even think that there might be a bleeding problem afterwards. Well......there was! I had to return to the dentist about 2 hours after the extraction with a mouth full of blood and some blood-sodden tissues.
The dentist said I should have halted the apixaban dose a day or so before having the tooth removed, and she put a dressing inside the cavity, which stopped the bleeding and dissolved in its own time. No further problem.
That is interesting. I have told the dentist that I am on blood thinners so she does know. Glad it all went well. You do bleed a lot I do have to say as yesterday I caught my heel on the back of the door as I was stepping up a step and the step took park of the skin away from my toe. It bled all night. I packed it tight and have been to the clinic and they have redressed it. But there was a lot of blood I was quite worried!
Yes had whole mouthful of teeth out on more thinners than that and no probs. They only do 1 or 2 at a time just to make sure you don't bleed. You will have to tell your dentist what you take meds wise before going in.
I have had 2 teeth extracted 1 in Portugal 1 here in uk both times I had my Inr checked the day before so that the dentist knew what it was and both times there was no problem, whilst on Warfarin speak to your Dr for advice
I have had it out now. The doctor said I could not come off the blood thinners. I went to anther dentist and he said he had done loads of teeth extractions with people on BT. It went well. It was out in five minutes flat, but it got infected so I need antibiotics. Anyway thankfully it has gone and I have got used to the gap.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Coronavirus Vaccine when on blood thinners.
Blood thinners
Blood thinner or not 
stopping blood thinners for medical procedure
