Teeth extraction

[Janey1309]

My husband has to have a tooth removed. Is it safe to have this done at the dentist or should he be going to the local hospital for it

[AyrshireK]

The dentist would probably advise you best as to whether they are happy to do it or not.

All through his cirrhosis my hubby has attended local dentist including for fillings and extractions. They have needed to know his INR score and platelet count to gauge risk of bleeding. If dentist isn't able/willing to do it they should make appropriate arrangements.

In a patient with cirrhosis they can't mess about as infection is one thing that can seriously destabilize the liver.

Best wishes, Katie

[Oscar21]

My Dentist will only remove teeth if they are infected because my platelet count is low. Thry removed one last year which had a deep infection and the pain was horrendous. and. I have had one removed at hospital. I am waiting to have another extracted at hospital and was referred by my dentist in March.

Its a saga as the waiting lists at our local hospital are so long. But the Dentists are worried about the risk of bleeding

[Millie09]

Hi Janey I suffer with my teeth , what's left of them since my malnutrition.

All my dentist work is done with my dentist but due to my high anxiety and the fact it took some time to stem the bleeding a couple of years ago during extraction at dentist I'm now refferd to my oral dept at local hospital where I've had any extraction done there

But like Katie said its something you need to discuss with dentist.

Best wishes linda

[Janey1309]

Thanks for all your replies. I'm going to phone the consultant tomorrow and see what they say. The tooths not infected it's just broke away

[Ruby1960]

I had 4 teeth removed at the dentist. All I had to do was have a blood test at the doctors to check it was safe. Something to do with blood clotting I think. I didn’t have any problems after the extraction.

[Readlots]

My Mum had problems because she was on Alendronic acid for osteoporosis linked with PBC. This increases the risk of necrosis with tooth extractions. She also had low platelets. The hospital wouldn’t touch her but her dentist was willing to treat her and successfully removed her tooth. She had to follow a very strict mouth hygiene routine for a while after but was fine. It all seems to be a matter of experience and confidence and understanding the risks.

[Fides]

Can depend on your medication, I am on blood thinners and heart medication following my transplant, so all dental work has to be checked with the transplant team, that said, I had one tooth removed at the dentist no problem, but had to have 8 removed at the hospital under general.

[BritishLiverTrust8 Moderator British Liver Trust]

Dear Janey1309

If you are in the UK and would find it useful to talk things over, our nurse-led helpline is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 3pm on 0800 652 7330 (excluding bank holidays)

Best wishes

British Liver Trust