Blood Thinners and Dental Procedures

To Stop or Not to Stop? Managing Your Blood Thinner When You Need a Dental Procedure

This month, we welcome Dr. Gregory Piazza for a patient primer on blood thinners and dental procedures. Dr. Piazza is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Director of Vascular Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and a longtime member of NATF’s Board of Directors.

In this webinar, Dr. Piazza discusses what to do if you’re on a blood thinner or antiplatelet agent (like aspirin) and need a dental procedure, provides guidance from the American Dental Association, and addresses when your dentist should consider contacting your anticoagulation prescriber.

[shawnmulberry]

For my leukemia I take Ibrutinib which disrupts my platelets. So I bleed like I am on blood thinners. I also get nosebleeds easily and they are hard to control. If I am getting a significant procedure such as an extraction I stop the treatment for a few days ahead of time. I do not seem to need this for regular cleaning or a filling. I floss regularly and this actually seems to cut down on bleeding from a cleaning. I personally would not stop a blood thinner if it was for cardio vascular use. Based on what I have read, this seems to cause problems in some people. These problems are far worse than a little gum bleed.

[xocheenahox]

How about for deep cleanings? Same thing ?