I was recently diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse and my doctor told me I should be premedicated before I have my dental work done. Why is that?
During the course of routine dental treatment it is possible that bacteria may get into the blood stream. If certain medical conditions are present, it is possible to get an infection called bacterial endocarditis. This leads to inflammation and deformation of the heart and is a life-threatening condition. Bacterial endocarditis is rare but it is serious enough that the guidelines established recommend a course of antibiotics one hour before dental treatment. Conditions that may indicate the need for premedication are mitral valve prolapse with regurgitation, prosthetic cardiac valves, previous bacterial endocarditis, some heart murmurs and joint replacements. The recommendations for premedication prior to dental procedures changed in 2007. There is an increasing problem with antibiotic resistance caused by too much use of antibiotics, therefore we recommend you talk to your physician to see if your particular recommendation has changed.
Related Questions
- I have just been told that I have mitral valve prolapse and my cardiologist told me I need to take antibiotics before my dental appointments. Can you tell me why this is necessary?
- I was recently diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse and my doctor told me I should be premedicated before I have my dental work done. Why is that?
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