i have ckd stage 3. i have to have 2 teeth extracted. oral surgeon will want to prescribe an antibiotic. has anyone had experience w/ this.

[renegade70]

need to have 2 teeth extracted . have heard antibiotics are not good for people w/ ckd. is this a true? its hard to believe people w/ ckd do not have to take antibiotics at some point during the course of their illness.please respond wit any related information. thanks so much.

[Hidden]

Hi,

My dentist is part of my Care Team. When he told me he needed to repair a tooth and knowing I had CKD he told me that he would make two calls. One to my PCP and the other to my nephrologist. He told them what he would provide during the treatment and what he wanted to prescribe post-care. Both gave the okay and his office called me to say what we had discussed was okay and should we schedule it. I gave the okay. I had a gallbladder removal surgery scheduled for three weeks after that. In my pre-admit screening my GFR was 49 and one-week post-surgery my GFR was at 53. I just had my numbers done again last week and my GFR was at 54. No problems with dental work so, if you trust your physicians, to be open and honest with you, there shouldn't be any problems.

[renegade70 in reply to Hidden]

thanks much, makes sense to me.

[DadviceTV]

Most dentists are aware of the challenges of those with kidney disease - but verify that yours has experience. They can then contact your doctor(s) to discuss the correct dosage for you (known as a renal dosage). Since your kidney will have a lower rate of filtering out toxins and waste products, the dosage will be reduced specific to your level of kidney function. This happens very often, and a quick phone call and conversation between your health care team and the dentist will make sure things are set correctly for you.

If you are taking any probiotic, you may need to increase it for a short period to rebuild the good bacteria in your gut after taking an antibiotic. I am successfully using Renadyl to lower my BUN and creatinine, and it requires about 2.5 months of daily use to build up enough good bacteria. Taking an antibiotic would reduce its effectiveness for several weeks.

[KidneyCoach NKF Ambassador]

In early 2002 with GFR around 20 I needed a molar removed. Asked dentist in advance for antibiotics he claimed I wouldn't need them. The tooth was abscessed. My nephrologist was on vacation. I went ahead with extraction without antibiotics. Didn't seem to have any negative impact. Within 3 weeks my urine output had drastically reduced. Went for labs and my GFR had dropped from 20 to 8 and needed to start dialysis immediately. I am confident if I had taken antibiotics I could have continued in GFR 20-25 for another 5-6 years.

I have since had dental work done and neither myself or dentists proceed without antibiotics. It's just good sense.

Good luck and Blessings

[PamelaSC]

Personally, I think unless your circumstances contraindicated it, the risks of going without antibiotics are too high. My husband got a brain abscess from injuring his gums when flossing. I had never heard of that and it’s rare but he almost died.