Many conditions, lifestyle choices, medicines, and diseases
interfere with your ability to heal or fight infection. You may be at risk for
a more serious problem from your symptoms if you have any of the following. Be
sure to tell your health professional.
Conditions
- Heart valve disease
- Heart valve replacement
- Previous dental
injuries
- Previous dental or gum surgery
- Radiation
therapy to the mouth, face, or neck (now or in the past)
- Surgery to
remove the spleen
Lifestyle choices
- Alcohol abuse or withdrawal
- Drug abuse or
withdrawal
- Smoking or other tobacco use
Medicines
- Antiseizure medicines, such as
phenytoin
- Birth control pills (oral
contraceptives)
- Blood-thinning medicines, such as warfarin,
heparin, and aspirin
- Calcium channel blockers, which are used to control high blood
pressure or for people with heart problems
- Corticosteroids, such as
prednisone
- Medicines that contain gold
- Medicines to prevent
organ transplant rejection
- Medicines used to treat cancer
(chemotherapy)
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such
as aspirin or ibuprofen
Diseases
- Cancer
- Crohn's
disease
- Dental disease, such as tooth decay or gum
disease
- Diabetes
- Eating disorders, such as anorexia
nervosa or bulimia nervosa
- Gastroesophageal reflux
disease
- Hemophilia
- Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
(ITP)
- Infection of the muscles and valves of the heart
(endocarditis)
- Iron deficiency anemia
- Malabsorption
syndromes
- Scleroderma
- Sickle cell
disease
- Sjögren's syndrome
- Vitamin deficiencies, such
as too little folate, niacin, pyridoxine, riboflavin, vitamin C, and vitamin
K
