|
Ask
the Pharmacist By Ron and Marla Chapleau |
Health & Fitness To Comment on this article Click Here |
|||
|
Q) Should I stop my blood thinner prior to my dental procedure? A)
Patients on warfarin or other blood thinners such as Plavix, Aspirin
and Pradax are at an increased risk of suffering bleeding complications
from dental procedures. But stopping those drugs can put the patient at
an increased risk of a blood clot and Experts have weighed the relative merits of these two As long as the INR (a measure of how thin the blood is) is less than four, these drugs should be continued during most procedures including crowns, bridges, root canals, implants, gingival surgery, supra gingival scaling and the simple extraction of a limited number of teeth. Patients taking combinations of blood thinners together are at a higher risk of bleeding and should be managed by a dentist or oral surgeon familiar with them. Precautions include: checking the INR at 72 hours prior to the appointment if the INR has been stable (24 hours prior if it has not been), and scheduling the appointment both early in the day and early in the week to ensure access to health professionals should complications arise.
|
After the procedure, patients should avoid activities
that could provoke bleeding such as chewing hard foods, vigorous
rinsing, consuming hot foods/liquids or sucking using a straw or
cigarette. If the wound starts to bleed, bite down on a gauze pad or slightly moist tea bag for 20 minutes, and call the For more information about this or any other health-related questions, contact the pharmacists at Gordon Pharmasave, Your Health and Wellness Destination
|
|||
|
 for
world news,
books, sports, movies ...Monday, May 09, 2011 |
