Dental work?

[holz]

I have a hole in my tooth (eek!) and an appointment with a dentist tomorrow morning. They left a message on my lunch break today telling me that I should call my OB and ask about x-rays and Novocaine, but by the time I got off work, the OB's office was closed

I'd googled some when I made the appointment, and asked the dentist, who said he'd only use local anesthesia and cover me double during any x-rays... He's worked with pregnant women before, has a good rep, etc. Google pretty much said that the risk of infection from an untreated problem is worse for the baby than the risk of local anesthesia and x-ray.

Oh- if it matters any, I'm 19 weeks.

I'd put this off if I could, but it's getting painful and I really don't want to risk an infection.

Any precautions I should take? I'll go unmedicated if I have to, but obviously that's not ideal. Anyone have dental work done during pregnancy?

Thanks so much!

[sanguine_speed]

Interestingly, I need two root canals and two fillings, and all are bothering me. I actually scheduled the work to be done, but when they found out I was pregnant they said it would be better to wait than use novocaine during pregnancy. They said if it became truly unbearable, then waiting until past 5 months is better, but after pregnancy is ideal.
I was surprised by this. I'm normally quite conservative, refused flouride during pregnancy, and I was okay with the local. But they really weren't, even for the mega-dough I was about to shell out.
I don't know more about this. I just decided to wait and things are alright enough I guess.

[MyFillingQuiver]

I'm in a similar spot as the PP. I have 2 crowns on molars that I need. They have bothered me slightly for a couple of years, but I've put it off since I'm always pg or nursing. Mine are due to broken old fillings/tooth, so decay and infection isn't a terrible concern.

If I get to be in "pain" or have any sense of infection, I'll certainly have the work done...I'm just not excited about it as I can't stand going to the dentist anyway, let alone laying flat (or nearly) on my back for an hour+ and having lots of novacaine, as I don't numb well....

I'll just keep using my Sonicare and floss to keep my mouth as healthy as possible, and pray it stays manageable, and I'll make myself go after having this baby!

[bananabee]

I just had a small cavity filled last week at 28 wks along. The dentist's office asked me to have my OB fax them permission before I went in. They did pad me well when doing x-rays a couple weeks prior, and the dentist used one shot of articaine to numb me locally. No one seemed particularly concerned.

I also had back surgery in December at 15 wks along, which had a lot more risks and used far more radiation (it took 5 hrs), and I was told that after 14-15 wks, they don't expect that radiation will have any harmful effects on the baby. That's also what I found out doing my own research.

[bjorker]

I'm planning to ask my midwives about this, actually. I just found out I need a root canal and part of me would rather do it now than than try to work around a nursing infant. I know people have done it, so I didn't think it would be a problem when using local anesthetics. Interesting to hear that a dentist didn't want to do it during pregnancy. I went to a community health clinic for my check-up and they don't do root canals, so they couldn't tell me about that part. I have an appt for fillings on Thursday, though.

I should probably call my midwives, though I may wait until my next appt to ask (in a few weeks).

I don't have any pain or infection, but the hole has definitely been getting bigger, so I'd really rather just do it now (as terrified as I am!). I definitely cannot do it without proper numbing. Just going to the dentist alone makes me very anxious.

[Loving1]

I had dental work at around 6 weeks before I knew I was pregnant. 4 fillings - 2 were in wisdom teeth so it was pretty involved. My OB wasn't concerned when I told her.

[Lisalee2]

I had an old filling fall out and went to the dentist to get it replaced. I told her there was a chance I could be pregnant, and she said she would do the work, that it was safe, but she just needed a doctor's note saying they are fine with it. So I'm pretty sure the novocaine is safe and as long as they double up on the coats during the x-ray it would be fine.

Also, now that I think about it, when I was pregnant with my dd, I did have x-rays and a big cavity filled, and the dentist I had then just wrapped me up more with the jackets they use during the x-ray.

[thehappydeer]

If you are concerned about added radiation, you may want to research using seaweed, like kelp, before during and after the x-rays to help remove some of the excess radiation. I don't want to make any wild claims, but I have read some info about it being used for this purpose and I know it is a safe and beneficial food during pregnancy.

Just in case you decide the benefits out weigh the risks and you want to be a little proactive.

Check it out yourself if youre interested and see if it feels right to you.