Every once in a while during the course of daily dental practice, I’ll encounter a situation which underscores the importance of thorough dental care and its potential impact on one’s general health and well-being. Last week, I examined the husband of one of my patients. Strangely, he had just seen his dentist a few days before ostensibly, for an examination and cleaning. He came to my office directly from the orthopedic surgeon who was to perform hip replacement surgery the very next week (that would be today.) Mr. S. had a low-grade toothache (that was slowly improving and thus no big deal.) His wife insisted that they visit me.
My initial examination revealed a cavity on a tooth that had abscessed (became infected). Further investigation revealed other issues; but of main significance was the fact that Mr. S. was scheduled to have major surgery with an active oral infection. My point is not that the previous dentist misdiagnosed or just plain missed a dental problem; rather, had the infection not been diagnosed, the success of the hip surgery would have been seriously jeopardized. One of the contra-indications for prosthetic joint surgery (as well as numerous other medical procedures including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, open heart surgery…) is any type of dental infection.
I spoke with the orthopedic surgeon and Mr. S.’s surgery has been postponed until his oral issues have been dealt with.
While a beautiful smile is attractive, don’t be lulled into a false sense of security. If you are planning to have any extensive medical or surgical treatment, check with your doctor and make sure you have a clean oral bill of health.
