I was doing good so well. Now panicked over flossing!

[Njon704]

So I've been doing well staying off WebMD and Healthline... but today I had a dental question that I asked on Yahoo answers and now my anxiety is sky high because someone said that having a dental cleaning could cause blood clots! And blood clots are my biggest fear.

I was only asking if I need to take antibiotics before a dental cleaning because I recently found out I have a very mild tricuspid valve regurgitation. I guess I got more information than I needed... now I'm freaking out because I flossed my teeth and my gums bled a bit and now I'm worried about what she said... she said that when you get dental cleaning it can cut your gums and plaque can enter your bloodstream and blood forms around the plaque and turns into a blood clot. Uuuuuuugh. I was doing so well too staying of GOOGLE. Now I can't settle my anxiety thinking plaque entered through my bleeding gums and now I have a blood clot waiting to kill me. And now I'm scared to floss !

[Fishmanpa]

It's actually quite the opposite. Certain oral bacterial infections are a known contributor to heart issues, including blood clots. Maintaining proper oral hygiene (including regular flossing) can help prevent these issues.

And stop reading Yahoo answers! Don't you know it's populated by trolls and ignoramuses?!

Reading Yahoo comments and answers makes you realize why Trump is leading in the polls here! ~lol~

Positive thoughts

[.Poppy.]

^ Fishmanpa, haha. I love reading Yahoo articles and the absolutely insane comments :)

Njon, as has been said, it's better to floss than not. It's actually really common to bleed a bit when flossing - it's not ideal, definitely something to mention to your dentist, but I think most people have that problem at one point or another.

And as a former user of Yahoo!Answers I can testify that there are some real morons there. Sometimes I go back just to laugh at the stuff they say, sad as it is.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Try to rationalise it. If a dentist cleaning your teeth put you at risk of a blood clot - do you think they would be doing it? Wouldn't they be extremely careful in monitoring you via follow ups? One of those cases alone could see their practice shut down and them sued to high heaven.

Flossing cuts the gums, but so does brushing. It's all normal. Dentists sometimes cut the gums too when cleaning them, it's just part of it when you are dealing with sensitive tissue.

In terms of your antibiotic question, that's one for your dentist. The best thing to do would be to call the surgery. I've always found dental surgeries excellent in this way unlike GP surgeries where they seem to be very unhelpful. Dental staff will ask the dentist and call you back, many GP surgeries can't be bothered with that despite it taking the same effort.

Plaque forms in many ways in the body, not just this way. Your diet and life style influence how your body purges them but this is a normal part of what our bodies are expected to do.

[boyyo]

Im the opposite after reading that if yuont floss Plaque can get absorbed into your blood via your gums through not flossing.. which cna in turn do a lot of bad things to your brain.