Living with a Mechanical Heart Valve: Click.Tick.Thump. Love It!
Artificial Heart Valve Surgery & Living with Warfarin: UK Info Support Group
Dentist letters
Hello everyone,
had a bit of a downer this week as i was told i needed a letter from my dentist prior to my heart valve op, so went and saw my dentist who looked concerned about writing a letter to my cardiologist, but he did it and he said i needed a couple of teeth that were decaying dealt with and that i had pockets and sub gingiva calcus on my back teeth !!!! whatever that is so i think this will put my op date off till i get this sorted, i was wondering if anyone else has had to wait for there op due to dental problems ???, still i was down but got down to reading more positive stories off this site that has helped push me back to the positive side of life, wishing you all a happy new year, just off to brush my teeth !!!!!!!!!!
cheers
Mark
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Add a Comment
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Comment by Tracey Amey on January 11, 2012 at 20:15 -
I to had problems with my teeth prior to surgery,just showed my cardiologist a letter from my dentist and he was quite happy to still do the op ,i had even had a tooth removed 5 days before surgery ,my surgery went fine and i agree with johns comment you must really look after your teeth from now on ,i think i worry more about my teeth and infections more than i do about my heart x
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Comment by John French on January 8, 2012 at 12:15 -
Mark - I wasn't asked for a letter from my dentist prior to surgery going ahead but I was asked if my teeth were in good order, I.e. I had regular dental checks. I did have a check up with my dentist just prior to the op for my own peace of mind and everything was ok. I was lucky that I had a very good dentist whose father had been through a MHV replacement 15 years ago - so he was very aware of my situation.
You do have to be careful with teeth as there is a stong link between dental problems (especially absseses) and Infective Endocarditis. Even after the op you will be at increased risk of Endocarditis so need to keep up the regular dental exams and have good oral hygiene.
The cardiologist should advise on the impact of the dentists findings and having the op but getting any dental problems looked at before the op is always a good idea if you have the ability to defer the op.
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