Tackling Your Dental Treatment Plan

Your child can get rheumatic fever, which can cause permanent damage to the heart, following a strep throat infection. Since a child can get rheumatic fever more than once and is at risk for developing an infection known as bacterial endocarditis, good dental care is essential to avoid infection. Otherwise, bacteria in the mouth can travel through your child's bloodstream to the heart, where it can cause further damage.

Symptoms

Symptoms of rheumatic fever vary among children and can range from mild to severe. But it's important to identify them so that you can take the steps necessary to prevent the disease from causing more damage. A child's symptoms usually develop within two to four weeks following a strep throat infection and may include:

• Fever

• Sore throat with painful swallowing (without other cold symptoms)

• Swollen glands in the neck

• Skin rash, usually on the chest or abdomen

• Painful and swollen joints, usually involving the knees, ankles, wrists, and elbows

• Chest pain

• Jerky movements in the hands, feet, and face

• Heart murmur

Preventing Infection From Recurring

While most symptoms of rheumatic fever go away, damage to the heart valves can be permanent. A damaged valve can leak blood causing your child to feel out of breath and tired. That's why it's important for a child who has had rheumatic fever not to get it again.

There are precautionary steps you can encourage your child to take to reduce the risk of developing bacterial endocarditis (infection of the heart's valves) following rheumatic fever:

• Brush his or her teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste

• Floss daily to prevent tooth decay and gum disease

• Have routine dental checkups and cleanings every 6 months

• Get cavities filled

• Eat a healthy diet and limit consumption of sweet foods and drinks

The mouth gives infection a way to enter the body. Therefore, in addition to your child taking proper care of his or her teeth, special steps before dental treatment may be necessary to reduce the risk of infection.

Be sure to tell your family dentist that your child has had rheumatic fever. If your child has rheumatic heart disease and has heart valve problems, a congenital heart defect, or a history of endocarditis, he or she may need to take an extra dose of antibiotics before certain dental procedures, including cleanings, extractions, or other procedures that may cause the gums to bleed.

If your child is at higher risk for cavities where bacteria can gather, your dentist may recommend periodic fluoride treatments. He or she may also apply sealants to the grooves and depressions of your child's back teeth to help keep bacteria from settling on teeth. Contact a company like Hurst Family Dental for more information.