If you’re a heart patient, getting even small medical procedures can be a major problem. The complications arising from the combination of medications and precautions you have to take can wreak havoc on your body. Dental Implant procedures used to be one of those things, until recently.
Now, a much less invasive approach to dental implant procedures allows heart patients to undergo the procedure with less complications, and possibly, without interruption of their long term anticoagulant medications. People who have prosthetic heart valves, deep vein thrombosis or most any other heart problem are usually prescribed a lifelong regimen of blood thinners. So, when a procedure causes bleeding, the patient could find themselves in big trouble.
The Journal of Oral Implantology has presented two separate cases in which a flapless surgical technique was used instead of conventional techniques. This flapless technique implements a procedure in which the implants are drilled directly through the patient’s soft tissue into the bone. The study determined that the flapless procedure reduced bleeding, surgery time, and postoperative pain and inflammation.
Obviously this is good news for heart patients, but a few things should be mentioned. For one, this is just one individual study and any heart patient should definitely consult both his/her doctors and dentists before considering a major procedure such as this.
Also, for anyone prescribed the anticoagulant Warafin, discontinuing your meds before the implant procedure is still being debated. Considering Warafin is one of the most common blood thinner medications out there, it should concern a great deal of patients, so listen up! The preliminary study of just two test patients showed that the flapless technique could safely be undergone without interrupting the patient’s medication, but more studies must confirm the findings.
If you’re a heart patient, please leave nothing to chance. Talk to your doctor and be sure to consult Colorado Springs dentist, Dr. Andrew Hall. If this is a viable, safe option for you, Dr. Hall can help get you started.
