Hi All,
Since there is so much confusion on whether or not you need antibiotics before a Dental appointment, I decided to send the site (updated January 5, 2022) on the ADA protocol for premedication before an appointment. Http://ada.org/resources/research/....
Why is there so much ambiguity on whether or not to take antibiotics before a Dental appointment? One reason is there never has been a clinical trial (to my knowledge and I practiced Denistry for 45 years) to substantiate the effectiveness of of using antibiotics before an appointment. As a result, down through the years we have used different dosages of antibiotics and time frames to premedicate our patients.
What muddies the waters even more is every time we eat, floss, water pik, and brush our teeth we create a bacteremia (presence of bacteria in our bloodstream) to various degrees depending on the condition of our teeth and supporting structures ( gums (gingiva) and bone). This is why it is so IMPORTANT to try and maintain a healthy mouth with good home care to minimize the daily bacteremias that we create.
What it all boils down to after all this discussion, is that the decision to take antibiotics before a Dental appointment is on an INDIVIDUAL basis between your Physician, Orthopedic Surgeon, (if you have artificial prosthetics—even then you may or may not need antibiotics), and Dentist.
There are a lot of conditions where it makes sense to be premedicated one of which a lot of us CLLers have to contend with —that of having a low neutrophil count. So there is NO hard or fast rule on being premedicated with an antibiotic, as there are TOO many factors to consider and this can only be accomplished between the patient and his/her supporting cast.
Wishing you all the very best. Keep Calm and Carry On
Varney
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