{"id":93,"date":"2019-01-26T21:46:14","date_gmt":"2019-01-26T21:46:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.glastonburysmiles.com\/blog\/?p=93"},"modified":"2026-03-25T16:31:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T16:31:16","slug":"is-medicating-before-dental-procedures-be-unnecessary-your-glastonbury-dentist-explains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.glastonburysmiles.com\/blog\/is-medicating-before-dental-procedures-be-unnecessary-your-glastonbury-dentist-explains\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Medicating Before Dental Procedures Unnecessary? Your Glastonbury Dentist Explains"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" class=\"wp-image-94\" style=\"width: 281px; height: 187px;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.glastonburysmiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/AdobeStock_205417442__1546643081_15991.jpg\" alt=\"Smiling man in the dental chair.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.glastonburysmiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/AdobeStock_205417442__1546643081_15991.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.glastonburysmiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/AdobeStock_205417442__1546643081_15991-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.glastonburysmiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/AdobeStock_205417442__1546643081_15991-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s time for your next dental visit and you\u2019re scrambling\nto look for medication. In the past, you\u2019ve taken an antibiotic prior to dental\nprocedures to protect your heart from any infections that bacteria in your\nbloodstream might cause. However, new information may make this requirement a\nthing of the past. In fact, studies are showing that taking medication may\nactually be more harmful than beneficial. Your Glastonbury dentist explains\nwhat you should know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who Should Medicate Before Dental Visits?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the past, patients with certain heart conditions such as\nmitral valve prolapse and congenital heart problems were required to medicate\nwith an antibiotic prior to dental procedures. This was to prevent infective\nendocarditis (IE), which is an infection of the heart\u2019s valves and inner lining\ncaused by bacteria entering the bloodstream and traveling to the heart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>However, mounting scientific evidence is showing that there\nare actually greater risks to taking the antibiotics than that of developing IE\nsuch as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Adverse reactions to antibiotics<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Developing bacteria that is drug-resistant <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Based on this evidence, the recommendation to pre-medicate\nno longer stands for patients with these types of heart concerns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conditions That Still Require Pre-Medication<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Some patients do have a greater risk of developing an\ninfection and should still medicate prior to visiting the dentist. These are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Those with artificial heart valves<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A history of IE in the past<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Serious congenital heart conditions that have<br>been present since birth<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A heart transplant that has shown problems in<br>the valves<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Safety First<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For your dentist in Glastonbury, patient safety is a number\none priority. This is why it\u2019s essential to discuss your health history with them\nprior to scheduling or completing any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.glastonburysmiles.com\/check-ups-and-cleanings.html\">treatment\nprocedures<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019ve been told in the past to take medication prior to\ndental procedures, your dentist will review these recommendations and work\nclosely with your general physician to determine if pre-medication is still\nnecessary for your condition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The good news for many patients is that they may no longer\nneed to scramble around last minute for that medication they took in the past. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have questions or concerns about pre-medicating, we\nencourage you to contact your dentist today for more information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Author<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.glastonburysmiles.com\/meet-dr-carroll.html\">Dr. John Carroll<\/a> and Dr. Veronica Yu provide patients with a wide range of services to meet their dental needs under one roof. At our practice, you\u2019ll not only enjoy the knowledge and training of two exceptional dentists, but also the friendly, welcoming environment our team provides! To contact our dentists, reach out to them <a href=\"https:\/\/www.glastonburysmiles.com\/contact-us.html\">online<\/a> or by calling 860-633-2031.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s time for your next dental visit and you\u2019re scrambling to look for medication. In the past, you\u2019ve taken an antibiotic prior to dental procedures to protect your heart from any infections that bacteria in your bloodstream might cause. However, new information may make this requirement a thing of the past. In fact, studies are [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-93","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Glastonbury Dentist | Medications | Carroll Family Dentistry<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Is it still important for some patients to take antibiotics prior to dental treatment? The answer may surprise you! Your Glastonbury dentist explains.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.glastonburysmiles.com\/blog\/is-medicating-before-dental-procedures-be-unnecessary-your-glastonbury-dentist-explains\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Glastonbury Dentist | Medications | Carroll Family Dentistry\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Is it still important for some patients to take antibiotics prior to dental treatment? The answer may surprise you! Your Glastonbury dentist explains.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.glastonburysmiles.com\/blog\/is-medicating-before-dental-procedures-be-unnecessary-your-glastonbury-dentist-explains\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Heim &amp; Carroll DMD, LLC Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-01-26T21:46:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-25T16:31:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.glastonburysmiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/AdobeStock_205417442__1546643081_15991.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"drheim\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"drheim\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glastonburysmiles.com\/blog\/is-medicating-before-dental-procedures-be-unnecessary-your-glastonbury-dentist-explains\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.glastonburysmiles.com\/blog\/is-medicating-before-dental-procedures-be-unnecessary-your-glastonbury-dentist-explains\/\",\"name\":\"Glastonbury Dentist | Medications | Carroll Family Dentistry\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glastonburysmiles.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glastonburysmiles.com\/blog\/is-medicating-before-dental-procedures-be-unnecessary-your-glastonbury-dentist-explains\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glastonburysmiles.com\/blog\/is-medicating-before-dental-procedures-be-unnecessary-your-glastonbury-dentist-explains\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.glastonburysmiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/AdobeStock_205417442__1546643081_15991.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-01-26T21:46:14+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-25T16:31:16+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glastonburysmiles.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/3e7bab33643c1de805abb7bc55315a78\"},\"description\":\"Is it still important for some patients to take antibiotics prior to dental treatment? 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