This article was originally published on www.deardoctor.com
Dear Doctor,
I am a 66 year old male and unfortunately need to have a few bad teeth removed. I am nervous because I am taking warfarin. Do you have any information or advice?
Dear Charles,
Your question raises two important topics: what does warfarin do and what are the consequences for tooth removal or any other oral surgical procedures. Let's take them one at a time — we'll paint these topics with a broad brush in order to give you some guidelines.
Warfarin as you probably know is a potent blood thinning medication and is used for a variety of medical conditions as an anti-coagulant — as the name implies to stop blood from clotting. It is usually given to people with an increased tendency for thrombosis (blood clot formation inside blood vessels) or to prevent of further clots in those who have had them before. It helps prevent the serious risk of heart attack and stroke that these clots can pose. Common conditions for which warfarin is used include atrial fibrillation (the heart's two upper chambers, fibrillate or beat out of normal rhythm); deep venous thrombosis (clotting in the deep leg veins) and pulmonary embolism (blood clots moving into the lungs). Anti-coagulant therapy may also be given as a preventive measure in patients who have artificial heart valves and on a short-term basis to those who have had surgeries, such as knee replacements.
For a person of any age, but especially as you get older your health status is important and needs to be evaluated carefully along with many other clinical or medical factors to make sure you are healthy enough to undergo surgery, even oral surgery for tooth removal.
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