Dental Work

[jimbone]

Dr. Pritchett has indicated prophylactic antibiotics before all dental work.  I lost a crown a little while ago and was told the underlying tooth needs extraction.  I put this off a couple of months and it now becoming problematic- it hurts enough to know it's got some swelling [infection?]  The dentists office can't see me for another 10 days and I'm wondering if I need to start antibiotics earlier than the appointment.  Anyone with a similar experience?

[Pat Walter]

I am not a doctor or medically trained.  If it were me, I would call my family doctor and see if he/she thinks you should start antibiotics now.  I have both a BHR and tissue aortic valve which means I have to have antibiotics before dental or any other surgery.  If I get  Bronchitis, I even worry about infection, so the doctors give me antibiotics.  I know you can take too many, but I have a lot at stake if infection goes into my heart valve or MOM hip resurfacing.
So talk to your family doctor or maybe dentist.  My dentist in Ohio won't order antibiotics, I always have to call my family doctor.
Good Luck with the extraction.
Pat

[jimbone]

Hello Pat

Thank you for the perspective, and yes I agree in protecting our "investment".  The word from Dr. Pritchett's office was he was not overly concerned and no longer advise the use of antibiotics before dental work.  He was also not able to advise on a dental infection and recommended contacting the dentist.  I will do that in the morning and see what they say.  I will also continue to request antibiotics prior to dentistry which the dentist supports.  I am needing to take regular doses of tylenol, aspirin and ibeprofun to just maintain until see the dentist- damn thing's uncomfortable and has a side of my face swollen.  Had  few antibiotics left over fro the last dental visit so will use those to damp down any infection until a medical professional prescribes something appropriate.
I have a few days left installing a stainless steel cable trellis system on a concrete wall directly facing the sun and acting like a convection oven all done from ladders, [talk about a successful hip operation!].  The weather probably won't get much past 90 degrees fahrenheit but even at that it should cook most of the bugs out of the system.
Have my one year checkup mid Sept.  Looking forward to writing up a good review and sharing a years worth of deeply satisfying recovery and healing.