Menu Help Tips . The decision to use antibiotics prior to dental treatment is one that should be made by you, your dentist, and your family doctor or medical specialist. The reason is that bacteria in the mouth during dental treatment can travel through the blood stream and infect the artificial valve. Those who have other prosthetic devices may be concerned whether their knee replacement or pin in their arm, for example, is also at an increased risk for infection after dental treatment. Fortunately, most prosthetic devices are safe from infection and do not require antibiotics prior to dental treatment.
Prosthetic implants are very prevalent in the United States and worldwide.
Each year, most of the 120,000 artificial heart valves surgeries performed are done in the United States. With these numbers and wide range of implants, it's no wonder that some patients, dentists and medical doctors have questions about if and when antibiotics are appropriate to protect against infection after certain dental treatment. The following prosthetic devices do not require antibiotics prior to dental treatment after the implant has healed, and include breast and dental implants, implanted lenses, most cerebrospinal fluid shunts, and pins, screws and plates used for fracture repair. There is little or no evidence that people with prosthetic hips or knees, penile implants, pacemakers, implanted defibrillators or central intravenous lines require antibiotics prior to dental treatment unless consultation with the person's family doctor or specialist establishes a risk factor. There is evidence to support the need for antibiotics prior to dental treatment for those who have mechanical or tissue constructed artificial heart valves.