Patients on Blood Thinners

Many of our patients are on blood thinners, and in these individuals, post operative bleeding following tooth extractions is always a concern.  We recommend that the patient consult with their physician regarding the discontinuation of blood thinners such as Plavix, Aspirin, or Coumadin.  If your physician feels that going off these medications may present a significant risk to your overall health, it may be decided that this risk is too great, and you may have to stay on your normal dosage of these medications.  If this is the case, we can still perform the surgical procedure in most cases, although we sometimes have to take additional measures to control bleeding.  

In our Coumadin patients, it is usually not necessary to have the physician discontinue the Coumadin completely.  We normally like to have the INR (the blood test used to determine how "thin" the blood is) in the range of 2.0 - 2.5.  This often requires a minor change in the dosage rather than discontinuing the drug completely.  Your physician will tell you how you are to take the medication and what (if any)changes in your regimen need to be made.

If you are taking Aspirin, and your physician will allow you to go off this medication prior to surgery, it is best to normally stop this medication 4 - 5 days prior to the procedure, as it usually takes this long for the effects of this medication to wear away.