Dental Procedures & Colonoscopies

ALL (known) dental work must be completed at least 4-6 weeks prior to surgery and you must wait 3 monthsafter surgery before any dental procedures are performed. If you have not had a dental exam recently or  have known dental concerns (chipped tooth, toothache, pain with chewing, loose teeth, infected tooth), you must see a dentist and obtain dental clearance prior to scheduling surgery. Please ask our team if you need a letter for dental clearance. 

There is still no clear consensus in the literature as to whether dental prophylaxis is needed after total joint replacement. However, we do have strong evidence that antibiotic prophylaxis reduces post -dental procedure bacteremia, although it is unclear whether this bacteremia directly leads to a prosthetic joint infection. I feel that the administration of antibiotics prior to dental (and other invasive) procedures is worth the possible risk reduction of a prosthetic joint infection. As such, for at least 2 years after a joint replacement, I recommend considering administration of oral antibiotics (such as Amoxicillin 2gm) 30-60 minutes prior to dental procedures, especially any that include gingival manipulation or mucosal incision. 

AFTER your joint replacement, you should take preventive antibiotics for ALL of the following:

Any dental work including regular teeth cleanings (Can lead to mouth bacteria entering your blood stream)

Colonoscopies (as they make take biopsies, which can lead to colon bacteria entering your blood stream)

RECOMMENDED ANTIBIOTICS:

-If you are not allergic to Penicillin: Amoxicillin 2g orally 1 hour prior to the dental appointment

-If you are allergic to Penicillin: Clindamycin 600mg orally 1 hour prior to the dental appointment

Please contact our office or alert your dentist if any of the above apply to obtain appropriate medications and antibiotic coverage prior to dental procedures.