Taking antibiotics required before oral surgery?

Message

#1 Post by **genoisegurl** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 8:30 pm

Hi. I'm taking out my 4 wisdom teeth tomorrow morning. The doctor prescribed me to take 4 pills of amoxicillin (500mg each) one hour before the surgery. Could anybody tell me if this is routine practice? Four pills at once seems like a lot to me. Is it really necessary? TIA for any advice.

#2 Post by **HighandLo** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 7:46 am

Hi genoisegurl,

My husband takes the exact same thing before ANY dentist appt, because he has a minor condition of mitral valve prolapse. Antibiotics are just a precaution if there is some kind of risk, such as infection in a tooth spreading elsewhere. I have heard that it's possible for a tooth infection (absecces) to spread infection quickly through the circulatory system.

Lo

#3 Post by **genoisegurl** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 11:50 am

thanks lo. i took it and got surgery done already...now need to recover...

#4 Post by **fromjersey** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:21 pm

My dentist told me recently that anti-biotics are no longer necessary for mitral valve prolapse, which I have. So I would check on this.
Helen