Dental abscess? x-posted

[MommaMoo]

So I had a root canal about a year ago and now I've developed an abscess over the same tooth I am quite worried about this because it can cause a miscarriage. I'm in my 12th week now. My last pregnancy ended in miscarriage so I'm extra concerned. I'm going into the dentist on Saturday. My midwife just told me to do salt rinses and get an rx for amoxicillin. Boy, do I NOT want to have to get another root canal. They are the WORST, most uncomfortable procedures ever. I knew I would have some sort of dental emergency with this pregnancy. With DS I had a tooth go bad and oh.my.god....that hurt way worse than labor. (I brush and floss, I swear! ) At least this time there's no root to be infected so it's not that painful.
Has anyone experienced an abscess while pregnant, and can someone tell me if I'm being melodramatic? Thank you!

[Vancouver Mommy]

I had an abscess when dd was 5 weeks old and it was the most excruciating pain I've ever experienced. Then four years later the same tooth abscessed again because the dentist didn't get all the way to the end of one of the roots (it was really deep and hidden behind what the dentist thought was bone). I had a second root canal shortly after.

[karen1968]

I've never had an abcess, but I have a friend who swears by strong camomille tea (as a rinse and ingested) to heal them. the rx should help, and the salt rinses, too. Maybe you can ask your mw about adding some grapefruit seed extract to the rinse? It tastes awful (bitter) but is an anti-bacterial.

It is very important that you treat it, although I hope you don't need a root canal. Imflammation and infection during pregnancy has been linked to not just miscarriage (although I think you may be past the danger point for that - I'm not sure) but also the development of pre-eclampsia.

And I totally understand about tooth issues! I take better care of my teeth now than I ever have. I hadn't had a single cavity since I was 14 or so, but since having DS, I have at least two cavities EVERY TIME I got to the dentist. It is super frustrating.

[Baby~Braatens~Mama]

About a month ago one of my molars starting getting red around the gum, then bled when brushed. About two days later there was a lump on my lower jaw! It swelled my face right up! I was incredibly scared of going to the dentist and having them x-ray my face since I was almost 6 mo pregnant, so I went to the clinic. It was abscessed. They prescribed pennicilin VK and told me to keep the area rinsed with salt water. Within two days the swelling was gone, and I have not had any problems since. I am hoping that we can wait until after delivery for the extraction. I can't imagine the pain associated with a root canal, but am guessing I will want pain meds and refuse to take any while my little man is living inside me. Actually, if I can make it until he is weaned that would be the best, because I want to bf, but will not be on any heavy medications while doing so. I am crossing my fingers that continuing the good care of my teeth and gums will help postpone this operation.
Talk to your ob, or visit any clinic or dentist. I know how painfull and scary this is! Good luck!

[VillageMom6]

I had an emergency root canal at the very beginning of this pregnancy (in December) and it developed an abscess last month (May). I feel your pain!

I highly recommend amoxycillin to deal with the infection. My midwife also okayed Tylenol with codeine.

Good luck to you, hon!

[MommaMoo]

Thank you for all the replies!

Originally Posted by Vancouver Mommy

I had an abscess when dd was 5 weeks old and it was the most excruciating pain I've ever experienced. Then four years later the same tooth abscessed again because the dentist didn't get all the way to the end of one of the roots (it was really deep and hidden behind what the dentist thought was bone). I had a second root canal shortly after.

I suspect that my first root canal either wasn't done properly or was just so infected that it was difficult for the dentist to get it all. It was infected pretty deeply and the dentist was working on it for a very long time. Of course, everything was fine until practically the moment I became pg. That's when the area started feeling tender.

Originally Posted by karen1968

I've never had an abcess, but I have a friend who swears by strong camomille tea (as a rinse and ingested) to heal them. the rx should help, and the salt rinses, too. Maybe you can ask your mw about adding some grapefruit seed extract to the rinse? It tastes awful (bitter) but is an anti-bacterial.

It is very important that you treat it, although I hope you don't need a root canal. Imflammation and infection during pregnancy has been linked to not just miscarriage (although I think you may be past the danger point for that - I'm not sure) but also the development of pre-eclampsia.

And I totally understand about tooth issues! I take better care of my teeth now than I ever have. I hadn't had a single cavity since I was 14 or so, but since having DS, I have at least two cavities EVERY TIME I got to the dentist. It is super frustrating.

Argh! When I was pg with ds I was following a traditional foods diet to the letter, which is supposed to be excellent for your teeth. Cod liver oil, raw dairy, no white sugar, etc. And I STILL needed an emergency extraction. I couldn't afford a root canal at the time so I had the tooth pulled. It was a molar that was the furthest back in my mouth so it wasn't such a big deal, at least.
GSE is a great idea. I can get that easily since DH works at a health food store.

Originally Posted by Baby~Braatens~Mama

About a month ago one of my molars starting getting red around the gum, then bled when brushed. About two days later there was a lump on my lower jaw! It swelled my face right up! I was incredibly scared of going to the dentist and having them x-ray my face since I was almost 6 mo pregnant, so I went to the clinic. It was abscessed. They prescribed pennicilin VK and told me to keep the area rinsed with salt water. Within two days the swelling was gone, and I have not had any problems since. I am hoping that we can wait until after delivery for the extraction. I can't imagine the pain associated with a root canal, but am guessing I will want pain meds and refuse to take any while my little man is living inside me. Actually, if I can make it until he is weaned that would be the best, because I want to bf, but will not be on any heavy medications while doing so. I am crossing my fingers that continuing the good care of my teeth and gums will help postpone this operation.
Talk to your ob, or visit any clinic or dentist. I know how painfull and scary this is! Good luck!

I avoided the dentist at the beginning of this problem too, b/c I didn't want any x-rays. My dentist is very x-ray happy and will take a great deal of them at seemingly any opportunity.
If you have a root canal they just shoot you up with novacaine (at least that's what happened to me.) So you aren't on any heavy drugs. My midwife said that root canals are fine to get while pregnant. The procedure itself wasn't really painful, it just took a very long time and was quite uncomfortable. I hope you don't need one, though!

Originally Posted by VillageMom6

I had an emergency root canal at the very beginning of this pregnancy (in December) and it developed an abscess last month (May). I feel your pain!

I highly recommend amoxycillin to deal with the infection. My midwife also okayed Tylenol with codeine.

Good luck to you, hon!

Oh yes I will be taking that amoxicillin! Can't wait to get my hands on it!
My abscess burst today and I have been cleaning the pus from it periodically. (Blech, totally gross!) At least the tenderness is gone for now. I feel better after all these replies, like I can relax a little. I thought I was going to miscarry at any moment.

[HeatherB]

You do want to get things taken care of in the 2nd trimester (with abx coverage) to ensure no infection affects the placenta. My MW has also said I can do either extraction or root canal (it's a forward tooth so root canal is recommended by the dentist, despite my fears of residual infection), just so long as I'm on abx *before* the procedure. The dentist I saw gave me penicillin and tylenol with codeine, but I'm very hesitant to take the codeine. Thankfully, mine improved a ton and I've held off on the procedure (which I can't really afford right now, anyway). It's getting bad again, though, and I may be heading for a root canal soon, anyway.

Hope you feel better quickly!

ETA: What I mean to say is, 2nd trimester is ideal for treatment, but obviously if you have an abscess that's burst at 12 weeks or whenever, you need to go ahead and deal with it. The risk for dental problems in pregnancy is preterm labor, apparently due to infection in the placenta. Sounds like you're covering your bases!

[MommaMoo]

Originally Posted by HeatherB

You do want to get things taken care of in the 2nd trimester (with abx coverage) to ensure no infection affects the placenta. My MW has also said I can do either extraction or root canal (it's a forward tooth so root canal is recommended by the dentist, despite my fears of residual infection), just so long as I'm on abx *before* the procedure. The dentist I saw gave me penicillin and tylenol with codeine, but I'm very hesitant to take the codeine. Thankfully, mine improved a ton and I've held off on the procedure (which I can't really afford right now, anyway). It's getting bad again, though, and I may be heading for a root canal soon, anyway.

Hope you feel better quickly!

ETA: What I mean to say is, 2nd trimester is ideal for treatment, but obviously if you have an abscess that's burst at 12 weeks or whenever, you need to go ahead and deal with it. The risk for dental problems in pregnancy is preterm labor, apparently due to infection in the placenta. Sounds like you're covering your bases!

I hope your tooth holds out until it's a good time to fix it! I just wouldn't bother with the tylenol/codeine. I remember when my molar went bad right before ds was born. The dentist wanted me to take two different painkillers before the procedure, including Valium! I said no thanks. My midwife vetoed the Valium and I didn't need it anyway.
I went to the dentist yesterday and got the best possible news. He said it just looks like the old infection is still clearing out. The abscess was pretty small and there wasn't any evidence of current issues or the surrounding teeth being effected. Woo-hoo!

[lillymonster]

Originally Posted by MommaMoo

I avoided the dentist at the beginning of this problem too, b/c I didn't want any x-rays. My dentist is very x-ray happy and will take a great deal of them at seemingly any opportunity.

I just want to add my personal experience, I wasn't pregnant at the time, but I had an abcess, I actually didn't feel, I didn't feel any pain until I got worse from a root canal. My "growth" had gone upward, into my jaw and nasal cavity. I don't know how many x-rays I had to get, until the endodontist found it. He estimated the growth had been there over 10 years. I felt no pain from my decaying tooth for 10 years, it had burst out of the tooth and spread upward. Only when I had pain in the tooth behind it, it had started to spread back downward into that tooth, did I have pain. Well I had pain in the tooth, and when it didn't go away after the root canal, the x-rays had to begin.

I almost lost my entire upper jaw, if it weren't for the fact my endodontist was a specialist in microsurgery and could remove it. He had seen people go the the ER with the same condition (after having complete nasal blockage) and have to have the jaw removed and rebuilt. After having a growth scraped out of my upper jaw for hours, a root canal is nothing to me. It's best to take care of it, not trying to scare you, but you can have growths grow into nasal cavities, eat away the bone and not feel anything, that is why they have to do many x-rays sometimes. Endodontist said he barely say anything on my x-ray, if he hadn't done so many, he wouldn't have seen it at all. The regular dentist surely didn't

I am not advocating x-rays while pregnant - of course, but there are reasons, and I am so thankful my endodontist did so many x-rays. He saved my face. I also had to go on 2 different antibiotics at the same time. But you can have infections start to eat away bone and not feel anything.

[SFB]

Hi,

I just wanted to add that an apicoectomy may be suggested by your dentist.

http://www.colgateprofessional.com/p...ectomy/article

[MommaMoo]

Originally Posted by lillymonster

I just want to add my personal experience, I wasn't pregnant at the time, but I had an abcess, I actually didn't feel, I didn't feel any pain until I got worse from a root canal. My "growth" had gone upward, into my jaw and nasal cavity. I don't know how many x-rays I had to get, until the endodontist found it. He estimated the growth had been there over 10 years. I felt no pain from my decaying tooth for 10 years, it had burst out of the tooth and spread upward. Only when I had pain in the tooth behind it, it had started to spread back downward into that tooth, did I have pain. Well I had pain in the tooth, and when it didn't go away after the root canal, the x-rays had to begin.

I almost lost my entire upper jaw, if it weren't for the fact my endodontist was a specialist in microsurgery and could remove it. He had seen people go the the ER with the same condition (after having complete nasal blockage) and have to have the jaw removed and rebuilt. After having a growth scraped out of my upper jaw for hours, a root canal is nothing to me. It's best to take care of it, not trying to scare you, but you can have growths grow into nasal cavities, eat away the bone and not feel anything, that is why they have to do many x-rays sometimes. Endodontist said he barely say anything on my x-ray, if he hadn't done so many, he wouldn't have seen it at all. The regular dentist surely didn't

I am not advocating x-rays while pregnant - of course, but there are reasons, and I am so thankful my endodontist did so many x-rays. He saved my face. I also had to go on 2 different antibiotics at the same time. But you can have infections start to eat away bone and not feel anything.

Oh my, what a terrifying experience that must have been! Wow, you must be grateful that you had an endontist with a good eye.
Even though my current dental scare didn't amount to anything, I could have easily gone to the dentist earlier for it. He said he wouldn't x-ray me while pregnant unless it was an emergency.
Now I get why I had to have over a dozen x-rays while getting my root canal. It was pretty infected!
When I was reading online about abscesses, I was pretty appalled at what some people reported doing about them. "Well, I just cut it off. more of my tooth is exposed now, but oh well!" WHAT??? Scary. Dental issues are nothing to mess around with!

[lillymonster]

Originally Posted by MommaMoo

: tooth is exposed now, but oh well!" WHAT??? Scary. Dental issues are nothing to mess around with!

Yeah they can spread, as I found out, with no pain! it was pretty shocking to me. This all happened a few months before my wedding, and I myself had to attend 3-4 weddings during that time period. And I missed a few days of work because I was on heavy pain killers afterward.

I also had 2 apicoectomies.

[Bubblette]

I had one at week 11. They put me on antibiotics and told me I had three options. If the pain didn't go away by the time the antibiotics were gone I could pull the tooth, or get a root canal. If the pain was gone I could see how long I could get without it abscessing again (could be a week, could be a couple of years...) get a root canal, or pull the tooth.

The pain and swelling was gone well before the antibiotics were gone and I chose to wait and see. The tooth stayed fine until 4 days after I gave birth. Since it was my last molar on the upper side I chose to have it pulled at that time. It was a decision based both on simplicity and money. Losing the tooth wouldn't affect my chewing, and root canals do fail and/or break down plus it was $150 vs. $2500+. On one hand it's a big deal to lose a tooth and I hated having it pulled, but based on it's location and the pricing in this area it was the best decision I could make.

[MommaMoo]

Originally Posted by Bubblette

Since it was my last molar on the upper side I chose to have it pulled at that time. It was a decision based both on simplicity and money. Losing the tooth wouldn't affect my chewing, and root canals do fail and/or break down plus it was $150 vs. $2500+. On one hand it's a big deal to lose a tooth and I hated having it pulled, but based on it's location and the pricing in this area it was the best decision I could make.

My other tooth that went bad when I was pg with ds was the same tooth: upper molar, farthest in back. No way was I about to spend upwards of $1500 getting that thing root canaled! I found that it wasn't a big deal to have it pulled. I can still chew just fine. I was also in such sever pain that I would have yanked that sucker out myself if I could have. The pain of birth didn't even compare to the agony of that toothache! Thank goodness when I needed a root canal on a canine tooth I had dental insurance and it only cost me $200. Couldn't have had that one pulled.