Before beginning any dental procedure, dentists routinely ask patients if they have heart problems. This inquiry is not merely a formality; it holds significant importance in ensuring the patient's safety and well-being during and after the procedure.
Individuals with certain heart conditions may require specific precautions or modifications to their dental treatment. For instance, patients with a history of infective endocarditis, a rare but potentially life-threatening infection of the heart lining, need to receive antibiotics before undergoing dental procedures to prevent the infection from spreading to the heart. Similarly, patients with artificial heart valves require prophylactic antibiotics to minimize the risk of valve infection.
