Choosing a dentist
Make sure to get a referral from a reliable source: Ask your transplant center, family, friends, or use the member directory at the website of the American Dental Association.
Your oral health
Excellent dental care is essential for everyone. However, it is especially important for transplant recipients because oral problems can lead to oral infections, which can release bacteria into your bloodstream. The medications you take to prevent your body from rejecting your new organ, unfortunately also put you at a higher risk for infection. To reduce your risk, good oral hygiene is a must:
- Brush your teeth twice daily
- Brush your tongue once daily
- Gently floss your teeth once daily
- Replace your toothbrush every 3 to 4 months
- Keep your regular dental appointments
- Before having any dental work, including teeth cleaning, you will need to take an antibiotic to help prevent infection. You can get a letter from your transplant team letting your dentist know that you will need a prescription for an antibiotic, and which antibiotic is recommended (erythromycin should be avoided due to potential interaction with some immunosuppressive medications).
To learn more about oral health, read the following newsletter, which is an Adobe® Portable Document Format (PDF) file. Please click here to download Adobe Reader for free.
Things to note
- Your dentist should be a member of the American Dental Association
- You need to tell your dentist if you are a transplant recipient taking immunosuppressive medications
- You should provide your dentist with a list of all the medications you are currently taking
- Your dentist should make time to answer your questions, explain procedures, and provide aftercare instructions
- The appointment schedule should be convenient for you
- The office should be easy to get to from your work or home
- The office should be clean, neat, and orderly
