I take daily warfrin for my mechanical heart valve and have never had any issues..... i want a full set of dental implants.... what do i need to know?

Bridge therapy: Dental specialist won't pull your teeth and perform implants on warfarin therapy; risk/incidence of gum/jaw bleeding too high. Heart doctor won't want you off warfarin therapy; risk of clotting with mechanical valve too high. Bridge therapy, which your doctor or anticoagulation clinic can provide, will keep you safe on both issues. Good luck and great question.

Seek consultation: Before havin dental implants placed you will need to have a consultation with both the dental professional who will be placing the implants as well as your cardiologist. It is important that these two doctors consult with one another concerning your treatment. You will possibly need to be taken of of your warfarin therapy prior to any dental surgical procedure.

Considerations: Just because you are currently on warfarin doesn't mean that you can't have implant or oral surgery procedures safely in an office setting. Your surgeon will work closely with your cardiologist to safely adjust medications for a short time. Typically an INR of 2-2.5 is acceptable ranges for operating without risks of bleeding. Your cardiologist will let you know what is a safe range for you.

Coumadin (warfarin) level: It depends on your Coumadin or warfarin levels. If your INR is in the 2.5 range or lower then you should not have any serious bleeding issues from the dental implant surgery. However, your md will have to manage your Coumadin before, during and after the surgery.

Team approach: See a prosthodontist for consultation. You will be best served if all dental treatment can be done in one place. That is, extractions, implant placement and teeth restored in same location. Not always possible, but there are centers that do this. Ours is in king of prussia , pa. You may have one near you in wa. The treatment must be done in conjunction with the recommendations of your M.D..

Your MD decides: How to manage your daily (warfrin) medication and be premedicated with antibiotics are decisions to be made by your physician, in consultation with the dentist who is placing the dental implants.

INR under 2.5: Many people live taking blood thinners daily and have full and complete lives. I would first consult with the md who prescribed the blood thinners as to what are their instructions in preparation for dental implant surgery. Most dental professionals who surgically place implants are comfortable doing oral surgery if your inr is 2.5 or lower. Have your doctors coordinate and your care will be a-ok!

Tall to your MD: Your medical doctor will tell you when to stop taking warfarin, and when to start taking warfarin again; if you are considering dental implants.

Ask your physician: It is the decision of the doctor who put you on warfarin to determine if you can be off of it for a few days before implant placement.

Medical clearence: Your dentist will need to speak with your physician to review a protocol for your specific heart issues. You will need to have some pre op medical tests to determine bleeding times whether you can come off your Coumadin (warfarin) and how far ahead of the procedure you need to come off it.