Before dental work, you should stop taking aspirin 5 days to 7 days before the dental work procedure.
Although for most routine dental work, you don't need to stop taking your daily aspirin and can take the aspirin at any time before your dental work.
But if you need to stop taking the aspirin before the dental work, your dentist will request a washout period to reduce or minimize the bleeding risk for an invasive surgery or tooth extraction.
Aspirin irreversibly alters your platelets and remains in your system, it takes about 5 to 7 days for your body to produce enough new platelets to allow for normal clotting.
You should also never stop taking prescribed aspirin regimen for heart disease, stents or stroke prevention, without consulting your doctor who prescribed the aspirin regimen.
The risk of a heart attack or a stroke from stopping your medication is also often much higher than the risk of bleeding from dental work.
And for procedures like crowns, fillings or even routine tooth extractions, dentists can also manage minor bleeding using local measures like pressure gauze or sutures.
You should also confirm with the specific medication instructions with your oral surgeon or dentist as the exact protocol depends on your own overall health and the type of dental procedure being performed.
If you take aspirin, do not stop it before your dental procedure without consulting your physician and dentist.
While aspirin does the blood, the risk of having a heart attack or stroke from stopping the aspirin far outweighs the risk of bleeding, which dentists can easily control.
Routine Procedures (Cleanings, Fillings): Aspirin does not typically increase bleeding risks for standard procedures, and care can proceed as normal.
Oral Surgery & Extractions: Decades of clinical consensus and meta-analyses show that patients taking low-dose aspirin can undergo tooth extractions safely without discontinuing their medication.
Bleeding Control: If bleeding does occur during surgery, dentists use local measures (such as stitches, compression, and hemostatic packing) to stop it safely in the chair.
Pain Management: For post-procedure pain, consult your dentist about safe alternatives.
Avoid taking over-the-counter NSAIDs (like Ibuprofen/Advil, Naproxen/Aleve) as they can exacerbate bleeding when combined with aspirin.
Before your dentist appointment, be sure that you clearly communicate any aspirin prescriptions to your dentist.
If you take aspirin for high-risk conditions—such as a prosthetic heart valve or coronary stent—your dentist and cardiologist must coordinate to manage your specific medication plan.