Wisdom teeth and pregnancy

[Tizzy]

I know I'm a little immature - my wisdom teeth have finally started to come in. Well, sort of.
But now one is slightly infected, on top but under the gum where it hasn't poked all the way through. The other three are nowhere near breaking through the gums but I do have one other tooth, a back molar right beside a wisdom tooth (not the infected one), that needs to be pulled too.

Here's my dilemma: I'm 27 weeks pregnant. I don't have much insight to go on aside from DH's experience with his wisdom teeth which was wretched. So I'm assuming if I were to get even just these two teeth pulled, I would have to be on antibiotics, and deal with not being able to eat much for a week etc.
I can't fathom pumping enough to pump and dump in the first 3 months postpartum but the concept of taking antibiotics (nevermind any other anesthetics during the procedure) while pregnant just doesn't settle well. I don't know how much longer I can live with these teeth, plus I have to look forward to getting the other 3 wisdom teeth pulled in the future. It's taken this long for one to come through, I can't imagine how many more years it will be until the other 3 arrive

So, my options are to wait it out and deal with it for the next 6 months (DH dealt with his for 4yrs) or get them pulled without antibiotics or....? Any advice??

[IAMommy]

Can you talk to your doctor? Dental health affects your whole body, and I have read about connections between preterm labor and dental infections. I am *not* trying to scare you, but you should discuss this with a professional who knows the risks. Maybe they could give you a local antibiotic shot to clear up the infection and you can have the teeth extracted after your baby arrives. I had some deep pockets around a couple of my wisdom teeth once, and they put an antibiotic in there to clean things up - I haven't had a problem since. I also now use an electric toothbrush and floss religiously - two things I wasn't doing at that time.
Something you might want to try in the meantime is rinsing with hot salt water. The salt can draw out infection. It needs to be pretty salty to be effective, but I'm not sure of the ratio of salt to water.

[ExuberantDaffodil]

i had an impacted/abscessed wisdom tooth removed when I was 5 mo pregnant with my son. I wasn't given abx. Or anesthesia. The dentist shot my gum with lidocain.

[fruitfulmomma]

I had a bad one when I was pregnant with #4 and waited until after I gave birth to have it pulled. No problems with nursing. If it is infected I would certainly work on getting that under control because you don't want to end up with a systemic infection.

[TaoLele]

Eek, I feel your pain, mine aren't infected, but they have but aching for weeks now. As far as salt water goes, my midwives suggested 1 teaspoon to 8 oz of water, 3 or 4 times a day. If you wait it out, that might help you remain comfy. I don't think it's very safe to wait though. A quick google search suggests that occasionally a dental infection can spread to other locations and make you sicker. With the pregnant woman's immune system already being slightly compromised, you maybe should weigh the risks of antibiotics verses the risks of delayed treatment. Good luck!