Why Dental Problems Are Treated Before Joint Replacement: Infection Risk and Implant Safety

The call from the surgical coordinator was supposed to be about parking and arrival times. Instead, the first question was about a molar. Had the sore tooth at the back been looked at? Was there a dentist appointment on the books? For someone who has waited months for a new knee, being told to see a dentist first can feel like a detour in the wrong direction.

It is not a detour. The conversation about dental work before joint replacement has become a standard part of preparing for a new hip or knee, and it rests on a simple piece of biology: the mouth is one of the busiest gateways between the outside world and the bloodstream. A metal and plastic joint cannot fight infection the way living bone can.

This article walks through what the evidence actually shows, where the science is firm, where it is honestly uncertain, and how the sequence usually unfolds from the first dental check to the months after surgery.

Why dental work before joint replacement is on the pre-op checklist

Ask an orthopedic team what worries them most after a hip or knee replacement and infection sits near the top of the list, ahead of stiffness, ahead of blood clots for many surgeons. A joint replacement swaps worn cartilage and bone for a prosthesis, the medical word for an artificial implant, and that implant has no blood supply of its own.

Living tissue is patrolled by white blood cells that arrive through capillaries. A titanium stem or a polyethylene liner has no capillaries. Once bacteria attach to its surface, the body’s usual defenses reach them poorly, and antibiotics that travel in blood reach them poorly too. That is why a deep infection around an implant, called a periprosthetic joint infection, often needs further surgery rather than a course of tablets alone, as the Mayo Clinic describes among knee replacement risks.

The mouth matters here because gum disease and dental abscesses are chronic reservoirs of bacteria sitting millimeters from tiny blood vessels. Every bite of an apple, every session with a toothbrush, briefly pushes a few of those bacteria into circulation. In a healthy mouth the numbers are small and the immune system mops them up within minutes. In an inflamed, bleeding mouth the doses are larger and more frequent.

So the logic of dental work before joint replacement is not that a dentist “clears” you like a customs stamp. It is that a quiet mouth lowers the background load of bacteria in the blood during the weeks when a fresh implant is most vulnerable, and it removes a known source of trouble before you commit to surgery you cannot easily undo.

How bacteria travel from a tooth to a new hip or knee

The route has a name: hematogenous spread, which simply means traveling by blood. It begins with bacteremia, the presence of bacteria in the bloodstream. The American Heart Association notes that transient bacteremia happens during everyday activities such as chewing and brushing, not only during dental procedures, which is one reason it stopped recommending routine antibiotics before dental visits for most people with heart conditions.

Once in the blood, bacteria are usually cleared quickly. Trouble starts if they pass a surface they can grip. Implant materials are exactly that kind of surface. Some oral bacteria, and skin bacteria such as staphylococci, carry sticky proteins that let them anchor to metal or plastic. Within hours they begin producing a slimy protective layer called a biofilm. Inside a biofilm, bacteria slow their metabolism, share resistance genes, and sit behind a matrix that antibiotics penetrate poorly.

Freshly implanted joints are more exposed than joints that have been in place for years, because the surrounding tissue is still healing, the joint space contains blood and fluid, and the body has not yet laid down its own protein coating on the implant surface. That healing window is the reason many surgeons ask patients to avoid elective dental treatment in the first months after surgery.

Two honest caveats. First, most periprosthetic infections come from skin bacteria introduced at the time of surgery, not from the mouth. Second, direct proof that a specific dental visit caused a specific joint infection is rare in the literature. The 2015 American Dental Association guideline reviewed this evidence and found the association between dental procedures and joint infection weak. The mouth is a plausible and preventable source, not the dominant one.

How common is infection after joint replacement, honestly?

Numbers help here, because fear does not. Deep infection after a first-time hip or knee replacement is uncommon. The Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic patient pages describe it as a risk affecting a small minority, and published registry data generally place it in the range of roughly 1 to 2 in every 100 primary joint replacements. The risk is higher after a revision, meaning a redo operation, and in people with certain health conditions discussed later.

Put another way: if a hospital performs 500 knee replacements a year, it might expect a handful of deep infections. Each one matters enormously to the person involved, because treatment can mean a further operation, weeks of intravenous antibiotics, and months of lost mobility. That asymmetry, low frequency but high cost, is why teams put so much effort into prevention, including dental screening.

Of those infections, the majority are traced to bacteria introduced during surgery or through the wound in the first weeks. Late infections, appearing a year or more after surgery, are more often hematogenous and can arise from the mouth, the urinary tract, the skin or the lungs. Dental sources account for a fraction of these late cases, and estimates vary widely between studies.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention frames surgical site infection prevention as a bundle: the right antibiotic given intravenously shortly before the first incision, careful skin preparation, good blood sugar control, keeping the patient warm during surgery, and not shaving the skin with a razor. Dental preparation belongs to the same bundle. It is one layer among several, not a stand-alone guarantee, and no single layer eliminates the risk.

Is dental clearance required before joint replacement surgery?

The phrase “dental clearance” sounds official, but there is no universal law behind it. Whether a written dental report is required depends on the hospital’s pre-operative protocol and the surgeon’s judgment. Many orthopedic services ask for one routinely; others ask only when the pre-assessment nurse or anesthetist spots a problem, such as loose teeth, visible decay, swollen gums or a history of abscesses.

What the evidence supports is screening, not necessarily a formal certificate. Untreated dental infection is a modifiable risk factor, in the same category as poorly controlled diabetes or an active skin infection near the operating site. Guidelines from bodies such as the CDC and NHS emphasize treating active infections anywhere in the body before elective surgery, and a dental abscess is an active infection.

A typical dental clearance before knee replacement or hip replacement involves a dentist examining the teeth and gums, taking X-rays if needed, and confirming in writing that there is no active infection, or listing what must be treated first. The dentist does not decide whether surgery goes ahead. The surgeon does, using that information.

Where people run into friction is timing. If a dental problem is found late, the operation may be postponed, which is frustrating after a long wait. Raising your mouth with your dentist as soon as surgery is on the horizon avoids that scramble.

One more nuance: routine dental clearance has not been proven in randomized trials to reduce joint infection rates. It is a precaution grounded in mechanism and observational data rather than trial evidence. Reasonable clinicians weigh it differently, which is why practice varies and why your own team’s instructions are the ones that count.

What a dental check before surgery usually involves

Expect an ordinary dental appointment with a slightly different agenda. The dentist is hunting for sources of bacteremia rather than cosmetic concerns. That usually means a visual examination of every tooth, gentle probing of the gum pockets to measure depth, a check for teeth that move when pressed, and dental X-rays to look for hidden decay, abscesses at the root tips, or bone loss around the roots.

Findings fall into rough categories. A healthy or well-maintained mouth needs no more than a routine cleaning. Early gum disease, called gingivitis, where gums bleed but the bone is intact, usually needs a professional cleaning and improved home care. Advanced gum disease, called periodontitis, where the supporting bone has receded and pockets are deep, may need deeper cleaning below the gum line. A tooth with a dead nerve or an abscess needs root canal treatment or extraction. Teeth that are hopeless are often removed rather than repaired, because a lingering infection is the greater risk.

According to MedlinePlus, most adults should see a dentist regularly and have professional cleaning at intervals the dentist recommends, so for many people this visit is simply a scheduled check brought forward. For people who have not seen a dentist in years, it can uncover several problems at once, and the plan may stretch over weeks.

The dentist may ask about medicines, particularly blood thinners, and about heart conditions. They will typically send a short letter or complete a hospital form. Keep a copy. Pre-operative paperwork has a way of going missing, and a photograph on your phone can save a rescheduled surgery.

How long before a knee replacement can you have dental work?

This is the most searched question on the topic, and the honest answer is that no guideline fixes a number. The interval is a matter of clinical practice, and it varies. Many surgeons ask that any invasive dental treatment, meaning extractions, root canals or deep gum cleaning, be finished at least a few weeks before the operation. The commonly quoted range runs from about two weeks to a month or more, with longer gaps after extractions so the socket has time to close.

The reasoning is twofold. First, the gum or socket needs to heal so that it is no longer an open wound seeding bacteria into the blood. Soft tissue in the mouth generally closes within one to two weeks, though bone in an extraction site takes months to fill in fully. Second, if a dental procedure triggers an infection or an antibiotic course, that needs to be resolved and documented before anesthesia.

Simple procedures, such as a filling or a routine cleaning in a healthy mouth, are treated more leniently by most teams and may be permitted closer to the date. Even so, a cleaning in a mouth with bleeding gums is a bacteremia-producing event, which is why the sequencing matters more than the label.

The practical advice is boring but effective: schedule the dental visit as soon as you know surgery is likely, not after the date is set. If the surgical date is already close and a problem is found, tell the orthopedic team immediately rather than trying to squeeze treatment in. They may prefer to delay the operation, or in the case of a minor problem they may proceed. That is their call to make with full information.

Can I have my teeth cleaned before hip replacement surgery?

Yes, and teeth cleaning before hip replacement is often encouraged rather than merely allowed. A professional cleaning removes plaque and hardened deposits, called calculus, that harbor bacteria along the gum line. Reducing that load is the point of the whole exercise. The question is not whether to have the cleaning but when.

A cleaning in a healthy mouth causes only a brief, small bacteremia, comparable to vigorous brushing, according to the American Heart Association’s summary of everyday bacteremia. A deep cleaning below the gum line in someone with periodontitis causes more bleeding and a larger bacterial release, and it may be spread over several appointments. Dentists and surgeons therefore tend to treat the two differently.

A sensible sequence that many teams follow, though again this is practice rather than a formal guideline, looks like this: examination and X-rays first, any extractions or root canals next, deep cleaning after that, and a final routine cleaning as the last dental step, all completed with a healing buffer before the surgical date. After surgery, routine cleanings usually resume once the joint has settled, often after the first few months, with the exact timing confirmed by the surgeon.

What about between the dental visit and surgery day? Home care carries the load. Brushing twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste, cleaning between teeth, and avoiding new mouth injuries are what the NHS and MedlinePlus recommend for routine oral health, and they apply doubly in this window. If your gums bleed heavily or a tooth begins to ache in the days before surgery, that is information the pre-assessment team needs, not something to push through quietly.

Who is usually asked to wait, and who usually goes ahead

Surgeons rarely cancel a joint replacement over a single small cavity. They do postpone for active infection. The table below summarizes how dental findings are commonly handled before elective hip or knee replacement. It reflects typical practice; your own team may be more or less conservative.

Dental finding	What it means	Usual approach before surgery
Healthy gums, no decay	Low background bacteremia	Routine cleaning if due; proceed as planned
Gingivitis (bleeding gums, bone intact)	Reversible inflammation	Professional cleaning plus home care; surgery usually proceeds
Periodontitis (deep pockets, bone loss)	Chronic bacterial reservoir	Deep cleaning, sometimes over several visits; healing buffer before surgery
Small cavity without pain	Minimal infection risk	Filling before or after surgery at the team’s discretion
Dead nerve or abscess	Active infection	Root canal or extraction, then healing period; surgery often postponed until resolved
Loose or hopeless teeth	Ongoing infection likely	Extraction with socket healing before surgery
Recent extraction (under two weeks)	Open healing wound	Typically wait until the site has closed

Some people are watched more closely regardless of what the dentist finds. These include people with diabetes, those taking medicines that suppress the immune system, including some used for rheumatoid arthritis, people with a previous joint infection, and those having a revision operation. In these groups, the margin for error is narrower, and teams tend to insist on a fully quiet mouth before proceeding.

Emergency joint replacement after a hip fracture is a different situation entirely. There is no time for dental planning, and the surgery goes ahead because the fracture is the greater danger.

What the weeks before and after surgery usually look like

The timeline is easier to follow when it is laid out as a sequence rather than a rule.

Several weeks to months before surgery, ideally as soon as replacement is being discussed, you see a dentist. Any extractions or root canal work happen first, because they need the longest healing. Deep cleaning follows. A final routine cleaning rounds things off. Most teams want a buffer of a few weeks between the last invasive dental procedure and the operation, as described above, though the specific interval is set locally.

In the last two weeks before surgery, the mouth is left alone apart from home care. The pre-assessment clinic checks that the dental letter is on file, alongside blood tests, heart checks and skin inspection. The NHS describes this pre-operative assessment as the point where any remaining infection or health concern is flagged.

On the day of surgery, an intravenous antibiotic is given shortly before the first incision, the single most evidence-backed step in surgical infection prevention according to the CDC. This is unrelated to dental work but is often confused with it.

After surgery, the NHS notes that most people are in hospital for one to three days and return to everyday activities over roughly six weeks, with full recovery taking up to a year. During the first months, most surgeons ask patients to avoid non-urgent dental treatment. Urgent dental problems, such as an abscess, are still treated; the dentist and surgeon simply coordinate, and this is one of the situations where antibiotics before the dental procedure may be considered.

Beyond that early window, dental care returns to normal. The lasting change is that oral health has become part of protecting the joint, indefinitely.

Antibiotics before dental work after joint replacement: what the evidence says

For decades, people with artificial joints were told to take an antibiotic before every dental appointment for life. That advice has shifted, and the shift confuses patients and, sometimes, clinicians.

The term is antibiotic prophylaxis: a dose of antibiotic given before a procedure to prevent infection rather than to treat one. The 2015 clinical practice guideline from the American Dental Association, published in the Journal of the American Dental Association and indexed on PubMed, concluded that for most people with prosthetic joints, antibiotics before dental procedures are not recommended. The panel found no clear evidence that dental procedures cause joint infection or that prophylaxis prevents it, while antibiotics carry real risks: allergic reactions, antibiotic-associated diarrhea, and the wider problem of resistance.

The American Heart Association reached a parallel conclusion for heart valve patients in its infective endocarditis guidance, limiting prophylaxis to the highest-risk cardiac conditions on the grounds that daily bacteremia from chewing and brushing dwarfs the bacteremia from an occasional dental visit.

The guideline does leave room for judgment. Orthopedic surgeons and dentists may still consider prophylaxis for particular patients: those with a previous joint infection, a severely weakened immune system, or a joint replaced very recently. Some surgeons continue to recommend it for the first months or years after surgery, and practice varies between countries and between individual clinicians. That variation reflects genuine uncertainty rather than one side being careless.

What this means in practice: do not assume you need antibiotics, and do not assume you do not. Ask your surgeon for a written position, share it with your dentist, and revisit it if your health changes. Never take leftover antibiotics on your own initiative before a dental visit; the decision, and any prescription, belongs to the prescribing clinician.

Gum disease, diabetes and the immune system: the bigger picture

The mouth does not exist in isolation, and the conditions that make gums unhealthy often make surgery riskier too. Understanding the overlap explains why the pre-operative conversation can feel wide-ranging.

Diabetes is the clearest example. High blood glucose impairs the white blood cells that fight infection and slows wound healing. The CDC lists glucose control as a core element of surgical site infection prevention. People with diabetes also have higher rates of periodontitis, the advanced form of gum disease, and gum inflammation in turn makes blood glucose harder to control. The two feed each other. Treating the gums and steadying glucose in the run-up to surgery addresses both sides of that loop.

Medicines that dampen the immune system add another layer. Many people having joint replacement for rheumatoid arthritis take biologic drugs, a class of medicines that block specific inflammatory signals, or corticosteroids. These raise infection risk in general and are often paused around surgery under the guidance of the rheumatologist and surgeon. Never adjust them yourself. The same immune suppression that increases surgical risk also means dental infections may smolder with fewer symptoms, so a careful dental examination is especially valuable in this group.

Smoking damages gum tissue, reduces blood flow to healing wounds, and roughly doubles the risk of wound complications after many operations. Stopping, even for the weeks around surgery, improves healing, and the NHS pre-operative advice for knee replacement includes stopping smoking as a preparation step.

Obesity, malnutrition and poor kidney function also appear on most risk lists. Not all are quickly changeable. Dental health is one of the few risk factors that can be substantially improved in a matter of weeks, which is why it earns attention out of proportion to its share of infections.

What people often get wrong about dental work and joint replacement

Misunderstandings on this topic are common, and several are worth correcting plainly.

“Dental clearance guarantees I won’t get an infection.” It does not. Most joint infections come from skin bacteria at the time of surgery. A healthy mouth removes one risk factor among many.

“I should avoid the dentist entirely once I have a new joint.” The opposite is true. Neglected teeth become the reservoir that puts the joint at risk. Regular dental care is protective; the only pause is for non-urgent treatment in the early healing months, and even that is a practice-based precaution rather than a proven rule.

“I need antibiotics before every dental visit for life.” Current American Dental Association guidance does not recommend this for most people with prosthetic joints. Some individuals with specific risk factors may still be advised to take them, but that is a decision for the surgeon and dentist, not a default.

“Brushing my teeth is dangerous because it causes bacteremia.” Brushing does cause brief bacteremia, as the American Heart Association notes, but far less in a healthy mouth than in an inflamed one. Not brushing makes the gums bleed more and the bacteremia worse. Good hygiene lowers the total exposure over time.

“A small toothache can wait until after the operation.” A toothache can signal a dying nerve or abscess, which is precisely the kind of active infection surgeons want resolved first. Report it.

“The mouth is the main cause of late joint infections.” It is one possible source. Urinary infections, skin infections and pneumonia are also recognized sources of hematogenous spread. Prompt treatment of any infection matters, not only dental ones.

Questions to ask your care team

Coordinating a dentist, a surgeon and often a family physician is easier when you arrive with specific questions. Write the answers down; different professionals may give slightly different advice, and knowing who said what helps you resolve any conflict.

For the orthopedic team, consider asking:

• Do you require a written dental report before my surgery, and is there a form my dentist should complete?
• How long a gap do you want between my last dental procedure and the operation, and does that differ for a cleaning versus an extraction?
• If my dentist finds a problem close to the surgery date, how should I contact you, and what would make you postpone?
• After surgery, how long would you like me to avoid non-urgent dental treatment?
• Do you recommend antibiotics before dental procedures in my case, and if so for how long? Can you put that in writing for my dentist?
• Which of my regular medicines, if any, will be paused around surgery, and who manages that?

For the dentist:

• Is there any active infection in my mouth, and what would you treat before an elective operation?
• Are any of my teeth likely to cause problems in the next year or two, and would it be wiser to deal with them now?
• How long will my treatment plan take, and can it be finished within my surgical window?
• Do you need to speak to my surgeon directly about antibiotics or blood thinners?

A final question for both: who should I call if I develop a toothache or a fever in the weeks after surgery? Having that answer before you need it removes hesitation at exactly the moment hesitation is costly.

When to call your doctor

Most people move through dental preparation and joint replacement without incident. A small number develop problems that need prompt attention, and recognizing them early makes a real difference to how easily they are treated. This is not a checklist for diagnosing yourself; it is a list of reasons to pick up the phone.

Before surgery, contact the pre-assessment team or your dentist if you develop a toothache, facial swelling, a bad taste from a tooth, a gum boil, or a fever in the days leading up to the operation. Any of these can indicate an active dental infection, and the surgical team needs to know before anesthesia.

After surgery, the Mayo Clinic and NHS advise seeking urgent medical advice for signs of joint infection, which can appear weeks, months or even years later. These include:

• Increasing pain in the replaced joint that is new or worsening rather than gradually improving
• Redness, warmth or swelling around the joint or surgical scar
• Fluid, pus or an opening at the wound
• Fever, chills or night sweats
• A joint that was functioning well and suddenly becomes stiff or painful without injury

Call emergency services or go to an emergency department for a high fever with confusion, rapid breathing or a racing heart, which can signal sepsis, a life-threatening whole-body response to infection.

Dental red flags after surgery deserve the same urgency: facial swelling that spreads toward the eye or neck, difficulty swallowing or opening the mouth, or a dental abscess with fever. Tell the dentist you have an artificial joint so they can coordinate with your surgeon.

When in doubt, call. Teams would far rather hear about a false alarm than see a late infection.

Protecting a new joint for the long term: the mouth stays on the list

Once the wound has healed and the physical therapy exercises have become routine, it is tempting to file the dental conversation away with the crutches. The evidence argues for keeping it open. Late hematogenous infections can occur years after surgery, and the mouth remains one of the potential sources for as long as the implant is in place.

The everyday measures are unremarkable, which is rather the point. Brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste. Clean between teeth daily with floss or interdental brushes. See a dentist at the interval they recommend rather than only when something hurts. Treat gum bleeding as a signal, not a nuisance. The NHS and MedlinePlus guidance on adult dental care is written for everyone, and people with a prosthesis have an additional reason to follow it.

Tell every new dentist and every new physician that you have an artificial joint, and carry your surgeon’s written position on antibiotic prophylaxis so that it does not have to be reconstructed from memory in a dental chair. If your health changes, for example a new diagnosis of diabetes or a new immune-suppressing medicine, that position may deserve a fresh conversation.

Treat infections anywhere in the body promptly. A urinary infection, an infected skin wound or a chest infection all carry the same theoretical risk of seeding the joint that a dental abscess does. None of these should be left to resolve on their own in someone with an implant.

What matters most, in the end, is not any single rule about weeks or antibiotics. It is the principle underneath: a joint replacement is a long-term investment in mobility, and a quiet, well-cared-for mouth is one of the cheapest and most controllable ways to protect it.

Frequently asked questions

How long before a knee replacement can you have dental work?

There is no fixed guideline number; the interval is set by your surgeon. Most teams ask that invasive dental procedures such as extractions, root canals or deep gum cleaning be completed at least a few weeks before surgery so the tissue has healed and any infection has settled. Simple fillings or routine cleanings in a healthy mouth are often permitted closer to the date. Ask your surgical team for their specific requirement and book the dentist early.

Is dental clearance required before joint replacement surgery?

It depends on the hospital and surgeon. Many orthopedic services routinely ask for a dental examination and a short written report confirming no active infection before elective hip or knee replacement; others request it only when a problem is suspected. Dental clearance is a precaution based on how bacteria travel from the mouth to implants, not a legal requirement or a proven guarantee, and the decision to proceed always rests with the surgeon.

Can I have my teeth cleaned before hip replacement surgery?

Yes, and teeth cleaning before hip replacement is usually encouraged because it reduces the bacterial load along the gum line. In a healthy mouth a routine cleaning causes only brief, minor bacteremia. If you have advanced gum disease, deeper cleaning may be spread over several visits and should be finished with a healing buffer before surgery. Confirm timing with both your dentist and your surgical team.

Is it okay to have dental work done right before surgery?

Generally it is discouraged in the final one to two weeks. Extractions and root canals leave healing wounds that release bacteria into the blood, and any complication or antibiotic course could delay anesthesia. If a dental problem is discovered close to the operation, tell the surgical team straight away rather than squeezing in treatment. They may postpone surgery, or for a minor issue they may proceed. That judgment is theirs to make.

Do I need antibiotics before dental work after joint replacement?

For most people with a prosthetic joint, current American Dental Association guidance does not recommend routine antibiotics before dental procedures, because the evidence linking dental visits to joint infection is weak and antibiotics carry risks. Some surgeons still advise antibiotics before dental work after joint replacement for patients with a previous joint infection, a weakened immune system or a very recent implant. Get your surgeon’s position in writing and share it with your dentist.

How long after knee replacement can I have dental work?

Many surgeons ask patients to avoid non-urgent dental treatment for the first few months after knee replacement while the tissue around the implant heals, though this interval is practice-based rather than fixed by guideline. Urgent problems such as an abscess are still treated, with the dentist and surgeon coordinating. Routine cleanings and fillings typically resume once the surgeon confirms the joint has settled.

Can a tooth infection cause a joint replacement infection?

It is biologically possible. A dental abscess or severe gum disease releases bacteria into the bloodstream, and bacteria can attach to an implant surface and form a biofilm. In practice, proven cases traced directly to a tooth are uncommon, and most joint infections come from skin bacteria at the time of surgery. Treating dental infection promptly is still sensible because it removes a preventable source.

What happens if the dentist finds a problem before my surgery?

The dentist will treat what can be treated and send a report to your surgical team. Small, painless cavities may be left until after surgery at the surgeon’s discretion. Active infection, such as an abscess or a dying tooth, is usually treated first with root canal or extraction, and surgery may be postponed until the site has healed. Early dental assessment avoids last-minute delays.

Why does brushing my teeth cause bacteria in the blood?

Gums are lined with tiny blood vessels sitting close to a dense bacterial film. Brushing, flossing and chewing all cause microscopic breaks that let a few bacteria enter the bloodstream for a few minutes, a phenomenon the American Heart Association describes as everyday bacteremia. In a healthy mouth the numbers are tiny and quickly cleared. Bleeding, inflamed gums release far more, which is why good hygiene lowers overall exposure.

Should I tell my dentist I have an artificial joint?

Yes, always, and tell every new dentist you see for the rest of your life. Your dentist needs to know so they can coordinate with your surgeon about the timing of treatment, decide whether antibiotic prophylaxis applies to you based on your surgeon’s written advice, and take extra care to treat any infection promptly. Carrying a copy of your surgeon’s recommendation saves confusion.

References

• The use of prophylactic antibiotics prior to dental procedures in patients with prosthetic joints: Evidence-based clinical practice guideline (JADA, 2015)
• Knee replacement (NHS)
• Surgical Site Infection Basics (CDC)
• Dental care – adult (MedlinePlus)

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified doctor about your individual situation.