Aspirin (low-dose) and your teeth
Low-dose aspirin (81 mg daily) is widely used for cardiovascular prevention, especially in patients with prior heart attack, stroke, or stent placement.
Aspirin irreversibly blocks platelet function for the life of the platelet (about 7 to 10 days). This causes slightly prolonged bleeding during and after dental procedures, but rarely enough to require stopping the medication. Modern guidelines almost never recommend interrupting low-dose aspirin for routine dental work; the cardiovascular risk of stopping is greater than the bleeding risk of continuing.
We review every patient’s medications at every visit and adjust treatment planning when it matters. If you are starting a new medication or have a procedure coming up, mention it and we’ll walk through what to expect.