antibiotics – Beyond the Bite

By Dr. John Paul, FDA Editor

Have any of you heard this today?

“Doc, I’m calling you at home after hours because I’ve got this toothache again. This time it’s been hurting about a month and it’s just killing me. You’ve got to call me in an antibiotic.”

Here’s my answer:

“Mrs. Gruntbuns, back when Mr. Fleming found penicillin, antibiotics seemed like magic. You give people a pill and their problems went away. While that was the net effect, what really happened was the drug killed enough of the infection that your body could heal itself. The drugs were so new that they wiped out every bacteria they came in contact with. It’s important to remember over time that changes. The more often bacteria contacts a drug that does not completely wipe them out, the more they develop resistance to the drug until that drug becomes harmless to the bacteria.

“We’ve talked about this before. That antibiotic I gave you last time was to help you get by until you got a real treatment. Once a tooth is infected enough that you have symptoms, there is no way for your body to heal it after a little help from a drug. You’ll need a real treatment like a root canal or an extraction to remove the source of the infection before you can heal. The more times you get a drug without the real treatment, the more the bugs get a chance to become resistant.

“Tomorrow morning I can get you an appointment with an endodontist or an oral surgeon. Which would you prefer?”

Have a question you have a tough time answering? Send it to Dr. Paul at jpaul@bot.floridadental.org.

By Dr. John Paul, FDA Editor

How many of your patients complain when you prescribe their prophylactic antibiotics? In my practice, it’s all of them. No one complains about the drugs they think will make them feel better, but when they perceive no problem, they want no cure.

“It’s four big old horse pills that make me gag, I can never remember them and I read that it’s bad to take too many antibiotics. Why do I have to take them every time I come to the dentist?”

“Mrs. Gruntbuns, you’re right, it’s bad to take medicines you don’t need and it is four large pills. If it’s just the pills and remembering, we can get you a liquid (but it costs more and won’t last on the shelf) and we can call to remind you. If you need the medicine though, it might just be the difference between life and death, or at least between a relatively comfortable life and misery.

“Not as many people need or are prescribed an antibiotic before dental care today as when I started practice. Science has shown us some situations aren’t a risk while others remain. If you are likely to get an infection in your heart or on an artificial piece of equipment, then you should have an antibiotic before we do any procedure that may cause bleeding and let germs enter your blood stream.

“Remember, you have that artificial valve in your heart — that’s a place where bacteria can land and live, and since the artificial valve doesn’t have a blood supply, giving you antibiotics to kill the bugs that start living there is no easy matter. It won’t just be a couple of pills, but days in the hospital. I like you too much to risk you going to the hospital just because you had your teeth cleaned.”

Have a question you have a tough time answering? Send it to Dr. Paul at jpaul@bot.floridadental.org.

Tag: antibiotics

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