I had an oral appliance for sleep apnea which I got from an ENT (if you get it from an ENT your health insurance pays, f you get it from a dentist, you pay about $3,000). Anyhow, after about three weeks of use I go a severe gum infection. guess that was the wrong solution for me. I'm going for another sleep study in a few weeks.

My understanding is the CPAP s far more effective.

"Forget your teeth and take care of your heart for now"....Typical ignorant allopathic advise. Taking care of your teeth is taking care of your heart. Find a natural dentist who will install a "dam" so bacterium cannot leach to your gizzard, before any dental work is done, no matter what it is. I happened to find a dentist who also has Afib and takes special care with afib patients. Id be taking a serious look inside your mouth for amalgam, root canals or old roots left in your gums from previous extractions. My last root canal was followed a year later by Thyroid issues and then Afib. It was #32 tooth, listed as the "heart" tooth. No mercury left in my mouth now and that dangerous dead tooth is coming out next week. SA is the least of your worries.

This just makes no sense to me. Do you have a heart valve problem? Bacteria from a cleaning can travel to the heart and cause an infection of a heart valve called bacterial endocarditis. But, people still need dental care and they premedicate with an antibiotic to prevent this from happening. Afib does not increase your risk of endocarditis to my knowledge.
In fact, not having regular cleanings and developing gum infection (called periodontal disease) increases your risk of heart disease. They are right that there is a heart and dental connection, but it shouldn't interfere with dental care.
A dentist may be concerned about an anticoagulant, but does not have to be stopped for normal cleanings and fillings. Often they no longer stop it even for extractions. You might want go find a new dentist.
I use an oral appliance for sleep apnea. I have very mild sleep apnea. I also have a receding jaw and small airway. The oral device holds my jaw forward which opens the airway more. Depending on your situation, it may not be the treatment for you. If you have more severe apnea it may require cpap.

Everything Marikay said was spot on.

For anyone that uses a CPAP it was hard to get used to. I bought a CPAP Pillow and now I don't have any problems sleeping with it. If you sleep on your side it is a must to have. Medicare is very strict with its guidelines for using a CPAP. I called where I got the CPAP from and they knew exactly how long I was sleeping and how many events I had. There is a chip in the machine, so if you don't use it for at least 25 days a month and at least 4 hours a night, Medicare will take it back. Big brother is watching us. I was actually glad to hear that so people don't take advantage of Medicare. Also, if you are on Medicare your Sleep Study must be done in a hospital for them to pay for it.

Regarding the Dentist, besides having Complex recurrent A-Fib with rapid ventricular rate response (as my doctor put it) I also have Cardiomyopathy - likely tachycardia induced, Mitral and tricuspid valve regurgitation (2 leaky valves), Hypertension History, Sleep Apnea and also had Heart Failure. Not sure, if this is why they are so concerned with me going to the Dentist?

Honestly, I don't know what all that means, except they keep a close eye on me. It's pretty scary when you live alone with all that going on. I just got a Medical Alert. I'm hoping that my FIRM Ablation will fix some of my problems.

I am on Digoxin and Carvedilol for heart rate control, Eliquis for stroke prophylaxis and Lisinopril for my Cardiomyopathy care.

I have had no problem with having my teeth cleaned while on warfarin.
Both my Cardo and dentist know about it. So far 3-4 years and no
problems.

Antibiotic Prophylaxis

Overview

Antibiotic prophylaxis recommendations exist for two groups of patients:
those with heart conditions that may predispose them to infective endocarditis
those who have a prosthetic joints and may be at risk for developing hematogenous infections at the site of the prosthetic.

Prevention of Infective Endocarditis (IE)

With input from the ADA, the American Heart Association (AHA) released guidelines for the prevention of infective endocarditis in 2007.

The current guidelines support premedication for a smaller group of patients than previous versions. This change was based on a review of scientific evidence, which showed that the risk of adverse reactions to antibiotics outweigh the benefits of prophylaxis for most patients. Concern about the development of drug-resistant bacteria also was a factor.

Also, the data are mixed as to whether prophylactic antibiotics taken before a dental procedure prevent IE. The guidelines note that people who are at risk for IE are regularly exposed to oral bacteria during basic daily activities such as brushing or flossing.

Patient selection

The current guidelines state that use of preventive antibiotics before certain dental procedures is reasonable for patients with:
prosthetic cardiac valve or prosthetic material used for cardiac valve repair
a history of infective endocarditis
a cardiac transplant that develops cardiac valvulopathy
the following congenital (present from birth) heart disease:a unrepaired cyanotic congenital heart disease, including palliative shunts and conduits
a completely repaired congenital heart defect with prosthetic material or device, whether placed by surgery or by catheter intervention, during the first six months after the procedureb
any repaired congenital heart defect with residual defect at the site or adjacent to the site of a prosthetic patch or a prosthetic device (that inhibit endothelialization)

petey

I had my 6 month dental exam and cleaning 5 days after my ablation procedure with the full blassing of my EP and my dentist, while still on Xarelto. They both agreed it was a "non-issue". I had no problem other than a little bit more gum bleeding than usual.

Hi everyone. I am brand new here and I'm not even sure if I am in the right place but it can't hurt to ask, right? I have very high cholesterol and can't take medication for it, I also find my heart racing rather quickly and at times it feels, well, I don't know if I can explain this right. It feels like there's a hollow area in there and it's making funny noises. I can't hear them, I just feel them. I told you I wouldn't be able to explain it right. I was told years ago that my heart missed beats and from a child, I have a heart murmur. My doctor doesn't seem to be worried even though my mother had two heart attacks and my grama had 1 heart Aneurysm and 1 brain Aneurysm that caused her passing. Maybe I am just getting a bit panicky about my heart but I would rather know then to find out later. I have too many health problems and really hope I don't have another one. I have a wonderful dear friend on him named Kassandra and I"m sure she will tell you I'm not crazy!!!! I have the best doctor in the world but he doesn't seem to think my heart is something I need to worry about. Hugs to all. Gramybear

P.S. I meant to start a new post and accidently put it on someone else's post. I'm so sorry about that! GB