Breast augmentation and dental cleaning - can this increase the risk of capsular contracture?

Dear rainrain90,
I understand your concern. It is best that you consult your plastic surgeon regarding post operative care and management (i.e including massage techniques and timing) specific to your case. Your surgeon knows your condition well and has preferences on when and what to use for faster healing and recovery. Post operative care and management depends on the type of surgery performed and the technique used during surgery among other factors.It is best, however, that you follow your plastic surgeon's advice on post operative care management for a smooth and faster healing and recovery.
Daniel Barrett, MDCertified, American Board of Plastic SurgeryMember, American Society of Plastic SurgeryMember, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Hello and thank you for your question! The short answer is no, you don't have to worry about infection/capsular contracture risk or needing antibiotic prophylaxis with a history of breast implants.

I think the information you may be reading is based on that theoretically, there is a small chance of "stirring up" bacteria that live on your teeth/mouth and that this bacteria may briefly enter the bloodstream via small breaks in the gumline, etc. If this bacteria then finds a way to something important, like a prosthetic joint, an artificial heart valve, a transplanted organ, or say a breast implant, that this may cause downstream issues such as infection, etc. However, no research as supported this for breast implants/capsular contracture and in fact the latest dental guidelines from the ADA specifically don't recommend routine antibiotic prophylaxis for breast implant patients. That said, every doctor may have different thoughts and may prescribe a short course of antibiotics for their patient if they feel that the benefits outweigh the risks.

Nobody know if dental work could cause capsular contracture. That’s pure conjecture. You could take antibiotics at the time of dental care if you like.

I recommend to my patients prophylactic antibiotics for one year after surgery for deep cleaning. Dr. Ted Eisenberg, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and Author. RealSelf Distinguished Hall of Fame Inductee. Philadelphia, Pa., USA

The answer to this question widely varies by surgeon. It is best to check with your surgeon on what she/he recommends for you. It is important that you continue with regular dental visits and not avoid them related to your implants.

Yes, any time bacteria is stirred up, like dental procedures and cleaning, some could go to your breasts and increase the risks of capsule formation. Do take antibiotics prior to each dental procedure and cleaning.

I don’t think there’s a strong scientific evidence, correlating dental hygiene with the formation of breast capsular contraction.
Dental procedures can cause temporary bacteremia or bacterial spread through the vascular system. Bacteria in the blood can potentially contaminate implanted devices, such as artificial heart valve. For this reason, some surgeons who implant devices may recommend certain patients take certain anabiotic’s prior to having certain dental procedures.
We know that one type of bacteria can causes capsular contraction, especially on individuals, who have repeat multiple capsular. Capsular Contraction can be caused by contamination with a slow, growing bacteria calked staph epidermidis. When that is the case it is believed that the contamination happens during surgery. Staphylococcus epidermidis, very slow growing and does not cause typical clinical signs of an infection. The bacteria cannot be treated with anabiotic’s, and cannot be removed once it has colonized the implant and capsule.
Confirming the diagnosis of staph epidermidis contamination is very difficult. The bacteria will typically not grow or show a laboratory test unless very sophisticated testing is done.
It is usually a diagnosis of exclusion.
Other bacteria that causes typical breast implant infections, behave very differently, and are treated differently.
Personally, I don’t think dental hygiene can possibly cause staphylococcus epidermidis contamination to implants, but there may be those who believe this is possible.
If you have questions or concerns regarding your breast implants, then I suggest you discuss your concerns with your plastic surgeon.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom, MD