Even though your dentist will be treating your mouth, it's certainly possible for other medical conditions to influence your dental treatment. This is why it's vital that you disclose any other conditions or previous medical procedures to your dentist prior to treatment. Certain aspects of your health, and how these were addressed, can affect your dental treatment in unexpected ways. For example, you might not think that artificial joint replacements will play a role in how your dentist approaches your treatment.

Replacement Arthroplasty

Whether you have an artificial joint in your knee, hip, shoulder, ankle, or finger — these forms of replacement arthroplasty will need to be noted prior to certain dental procedures. This might seem a bit confusing since these artificial joints are nowhere near your mouth. So why are they relevant to your dental treatment?

Oral Bacteria

A small amount of oral bacteria can enter your bloodstream during treatment, and this is a standard byproduct of some types of dental procedures. It's not considered to be harmful to the vast majority of patients, but this isn't necessarily the case for patients who have undergone replacement arthroplasty. Why is this a possible problem?

An Infection

The introduction of this bacteria into your bloodstream can have an adverse effect on your artificial joints, which has the potential to lead to an infection of the bones and tissues supporting your artificial joint. An infection such as this is difficult to treat and has serious consequences. So what happens when you need dental treatment that could conceivably release oral bacteria into your system?

Premedication

If it's suspected that you're at risk, preemptive measures will be needed. This is actually rather straightforward, and it's simply a matter of taking a course of antibiotics prior to your dental procedure. This bolsters your immune system, meaning that any harmful bacteria will be rendered harmless. Is this going to be necessary for anyone with an artificial joint?

Risk Factors

There are certain applicable risk factors, and this is generally for patients with artificial joints and those who are also affected by a secondary condition. These conditions can include arthritis, lupus, HIV/AIDS, or cancer. It also depends on the nature of the required dental procedure.

Not everyone with an artificial joint will require premedication, but it's absolutely vital that your dentist is aware of your medical history, even though it might not seem relevant to the success of your dental treatment.  

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