Protect your heart during dental work

Don't stop taking aspirin, Plavix, or any other antiplatelet before dental work without asking your cardiologist.

The physical, emotional, and psychological stresses of surgery create conditions inside arteries that sometimes lead to a heart attack or stroke. This has long been known for coronary artery bypass grafting, hip replacement, and other major operations. Now it appears that tooth extraction and other oral surgeries also temporarily — but slightly — increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke.