1. Community
  2. Bones, joints and muscles
  3. Knee Problems

Dental work needs doing! What to look out for after TKR?

Posted , 14 users are following.

Lindyblue
Lindyblue

Can someone please tell me what to expect when having dental work done?

I'm 3 months post TKR and have just found decay, which may need filling or extraction (its quite bad) ... What happens if it gets infected and how would that affect my prosthesis?

Thanks,

Lindy

2 likes, 35 replies

35 Replies

Next
  • martha61033
    martha61033 Lindyblue

    Posted

    You will have to have your dentist give you an antibiotic to take 1 hour prior to your appointment. It is usually Amoxicillin.
  • jenny47422
    jenny47422 Lindyblue

    Posted

    Hi Lindyblue.

    Tell your dentist that you've had a tkr.

    I'm no medic, but apparently you will need prophylactic antibiotics BEFORE the dental treatment.

    I don't know if you get a script from the dentist or your GP. I just noted the information for when I will need dental treatment inthe future.

    • Lindyblue
      Lindyblue jenny47422

      Posted

      Thanks Jenny.

      I'm curious to know as well, how an infection affects our prosthetics .. maybe someone will know smile

      Cheers!

    • jenny47422
      jenny47422 Lindyblue

      Posted

      Apparently if an infection gets into the bloodstream, it's really, really bad for prosthetic bits. My doctor said you'll know if you have a blood infection, you'll feel very sick and  have a high temperature....time to seek immediate help.
    • Lindyblue
      Lindyblue jenny47422

      Posted

      Ewww, ok then. Sounds terrible. Better get those antibiotics quick smart me thinks!
    • martha61033
      martha61033 jenny47422

      Posted

      My husband has had both knees replaced, very bad problems with this last one. But his dr. and our dentist both said probably for the rest of his life he will need antibiotics before any dental procedure, including cleaning. The titanium in the knees is like a magnet that more or less draws bacteria to that part, this is what the surgeon in houston told us. So even if he gets a scratch that breaks the skin, we have to clean it and put an antibiotic ointment on it. I am a retired nurse, so I have tried to keep up with all the latest news on this, even though this was not my field of study.So, you do have to be very careful and vigilant.
  • jenny47422
    jenny47422 Lindyblue

    Posted

    Thanks Martha, that's cleared that up....I was just thinking a course of antibiotics like we usually have. 
  • mary0606
    mary0606 Lindyblue

    Posted

    They are all correct I have 3 friends that have had either one or 3 infected joints and it's not funny. It's a round of about 6-8 weeks of. IV antibiotics then the prosthesis has to be removed and an antibiotic spacer put in for some months before they can redo it...

    better to be safe I think

    • Lindyblue
      Lindyblue mary0606

      Posted

      OMG!! That sounds intense!!! Thankfully I just rang the dentist to get an antibiotic script before doing the work!
    • Oldfatguy1
      Oldfatguy1 mary0606

      Posted

      I can attest to that

      I had all the hardware removed early Mar h and had i8 weeks of vancomycin via a PICC line, then had a 6 week wait to make sure the staph wasn't back and got my new knee the 25 th of June. They tried once to clean it out once by just opening the knee and taking out the plastic disc, flushing and doing the 8 weeks of antibiotics iv then clindamycin orally for the rest of my life but after 8 m o nths or so, the antibiotics failed and I had to start all over. The success rate the 1st way of doing it is between 75-80% and this time it's 98%.

  • cheryl90571
    cheryl90571 Lindyblue

    Posted

    Hi!

    Tomorrow I go to get my teeth cleaned at my periodontist's office. At the total knee replacement class, we learned that having had a knee replacement we are in more danger of infection . The solution is taking an antibiotic ONE HOUR before the cleaning and six hours after the cleaning. This apparently will happen EACH AND EVERY TIME there is a dental procedure.

    I also go to American Dental Centers for dental work. I go there every six months and to my periodontist's every six months, flip-flopping the two places. I have to find out how I handle the antibiotic thing there as well.

    My pills are in the kitchen right now. There are THREE IN MY bottle. I was prescribed CYPRO. I had no adverse effects from CYPRO when I had a UTI last September, so they decided CYPRO would be fine this time, too.

    I am allergic to Penicillin and any dirivative of Penicillin, so it was either Erithromyacin or Cypro for me.

    Apparently this three-pill regimen will knock out any existing infection that COULD BE lurking about!

    • Lindyblue
      Lindyblue cheryl90571

      Posted

      Hi Cheryl, only 1 hour before. Some people say 3 days before sad

      I'm allergic to Tetracyclene and Sulpher so only Penicillin for me wink

      LOL We're all different ... thankfully smile

  • RooQ
    RooQ Lindyblue

    Posted

    Hi I had a TKR in March and since then have had a filling, new crown and dental hygienist clean. The dentist was aware of my knee replacement and I have never had the need for antibiotics. As far as I am concerned, everything has been the same as before.
    • mary0606
      mary0606 RooQ

      Posted

      RooQ

      this debate goes on and on, yes you do then no you don't. I had my first joint replacement in 1993 and we did take them for any "dirty" procedure be it dental colonoscopy etc. Then it goes out, but whilst they keep debating whether you should or shouldn't, we joint replacement people are left in the dark....

      when I had my shoulders  revised my shoulder surgeon said yes every time for dental and anything else dirty, for the rest of my life. So that's what I will do. There is NO time limit when you can get an infection. I have 3 friends that lost joints to infection, 2 were 5 years post op and the other 7 years. So there is no safe time. 

      We are responsible for our own bodies and I would insist on getting.     them...

      Of you don't abuse them it shouldn't cause an issue..

Back to top
Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.