I have a heart condition and my physician has recommended that I take antibiotics before dental care. Why would I need to do this?

Any dental procedure likely to cause bleeding, including a dental cleaning, can allow sticky bacteria from your mouth to enter your bloodstream and stick to heart valves or the lining of your heart. This can cause an infection. For this reason, there are certain heart conditions that may require you to take an antibiotic before dental treatment. For more information visit: https://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/a/premedication-or-antibiotics