Dental Extraction and Heart Health

Our dental health has surprisingly big effects on our overall health. For example, the state of our teeth has a direct connection to our heart and how well it functions. “Morbidity and Mortality Associated With Dental Extraction Before Cardiac Operation,” published in the March 2014 issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, shows that extracting a tooth before a cardiac surgery makes patients susceptible to a greater risk of negative effects. One of these negative effects could possibly be death.

According to this article, patients who had a tooth extracted before a planned cardiac procedure between 2003 and 2013 were studied for any adverse effects. The results show that eight percent of these patients experienced dramatic health issues, such as heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure. The combination of the two procedures had fatal results for three percent of the patients.

Experts have emphasized the fact that more research and study needs to be done in order to make any definitive statements about the effects of tooth extraction on heart related surgeries. However, the topic does present a platform with which to highlight to importance of both dental care, and communication. Be sure to inform any of your doctors, including your dentist, of any health issues you may be having, medications you are currently taking, and any procedures you have scheduled in the near future. Also be sure to follow their directions regarding dental and oral hygiene, in order to prevent the need for dental extractions, and any pre-surgery instructions.