Good dental hygiene and regular dental visits are important in preventing infective endocarditis (infection on the lining of the heart or heart valves).
We can refer our ACHD patients to our special care dentistry service, based at Guy's, if they have conditions that cannot be treated by their regular or community dentist, such as:
- complex or severe medical problems
- psychological problems
- severe learning disabilities
- confirmed severe allergy to more than one local anaesthetic agent, dental materials or latex
- severe dental phobias requiring treatment under sedation.
Long-term or advanced restorative care is geenerally not provided at this clinic, unless long-term maintenance by the patient's regular dentist is not possible.
Referrals are made by the ACHD consultants or by the patient's GP to: New Patient Referral Unit, Floor 25, Tower wing, Guy's Hospital, and marked for the attention of 'Sedation and special care dentistry'.