Severe Gum Disease Can Instigate Joint Replacement Infections

Greetings from Dr. Pasch, Dr. Yam, Dr. Shirzadnia and Dr. Song!

With the advancement of medicine and various treatment and surgical approaches, joint replacement has become very common nowadays. We bet your dental health is the last thing on your mind if you are preparing yourself for a hip replacement, for example, but you should know that  a thorough dental examination for presence of tooth and gum infection is recommended prior to joint replacement.  Here are the reasons why this should be done:

Periodontal disease is a commonly occurring oral infection of the adult population (80%
of adults are affected) destroying the bony support of the teeth. This infection slowly
progresses over the lifetime of the patient and is often manifested in the advanced
stage in the senior population.

Because of the lack of any discomfort to the patient until total loss of bony support to the
teeth, many adults are unaware that they have this infection. However, the bacteria from
this bone destroying disease, especially in the more advanced cases, has been
attributed to possible infection of joint replacements.

Candidates for joint replacements who have not been seen by a dentist in over a year
should be considered for a thorough dental evaluation of their teeth and gums before
surgery. Depending on the severity of the infection, treatment of gum infections and
tooth abscesses may take from two weeks to two months before the patient reaches
adequate health before surgery.

If you have questions regarding severe gum disease, please call our office at 212-689-0024
or email us at appts@heraldsquaredental.com today.


Best Regards,

Herald Square Dental
& The Denture Center

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References:www.idanewsletters.com