Who Should Receive Antibiotics Before Having a Dental Treatment?
To prevent endocarditis, patients with certain heart conditions receive a single dose of an antibiotic. You receive it about one hour prior to certain dental treatments. The American Heart Association and American Dental Association now suggest that you receive antibiotics prior to dental treatment only if you have: • Had bacterial endocarditis before • A prosthetic (artificial) cardiac valve or prosthetic material used in valve repair • Cardiac valve disease and have had a cardiac transplant • Congenital (present at birth) heart disease.
