Dental work: what do I need to avoid while pregnant?

[smeep]

I'll be 24 weeks tomorrow. Yet another tooth broke big time today. Since I have no money, I'm looking at just paying the initial exam fee (borrowing it from my parents) at Monarch, or some other similar place, and then hoping that I can get a bunch of the main work done in one sitting and just be in debt and have to pay them whenever I finally get a job and can afford it.

What things (if anything) do I need to avoid (and why)? Certain pain meds? I assume the local anesthesia is fine, right? I'm really considering NOT telling them that I'm pregnant, just on the off chance that they refuse to do any work based on it, even if the work is otherwise safe.

[lillymonster]

I am not sure about local anesthesia. I think you can't have epinephrine which is usually in it, at least I had surgery a few weeks ago and was told I could not have it, but it might be something you need to research, I am glad the surgeon chose not to use it personally, although you tend to bleed more without it. Also you can't use certain antibiotics or narcotics. And I would be hesitant to do any x-rays. I would personally tell them that you are pregnant.

[Maprilynne]

I had a wisdom tooth out at about 28 weeks and I was obviously pregnant and they did not have any trouble accomadating me. i had local anesthesia instead of being put out and they triple aproned all over my abdoment for a single exray and then gave me codeine instead of something "harder." I would go ahead and tell them. Dental care is actually very important while pregnant so most dentists know how best to treat you. Good luck!!! (I have had some kind of dental issues with all my pregnancies except this one.)

[SumnerRain]

Mine just wanted me to wait until my 2nd tri and decided they didn't need xrays now, and it could wait. I have not needed anything major, just one filling repair and one cleaning.

[AZgirl2207]

I would tell them you are PG. When I had a filling (at about 18 weeks), they used novacain WITHOUT epinephrine. It takes longer to kick in but worked just great.

Your dental health is really important! Please don't avoid the dentist when you are pregnant.

[Llyra]

My dentist requires a note from an OB or midwife before he'll treat a pregnant woman (so annoying!) My midwife's office's notes always said "novocaine no epinephrine, first antibiotic choice-- penicillin, double shield for x-rays." I still have three of the stupid notes in my little "baby memory" box. I have no idea why I saved them, but there you go.

[Lady Lilya]

Llyra, that is very informative.

I've never had anything urgent arise in the dental department. I usually aim for a cleaning and checkup right before conceiving, and then stay away from the dentist until after I finish breastfeeding.

It makes me nervous to be in the same office where it is likely that drilling was done into someone's teeth where there were mercury fillings. I try to find dentists who are very mercury-aware, and whose offices are new enough that they couldn't have gotten mercury particles in all the pores before they learned about mercury dangers.

[Youngfrankenstein]

Tell them you are pregnant. My dentist just gave me nopivicaine instead of novicaine while I was pregnant. It was a milder-type local shot.

[smeep]

I called them to ask (figured that if I had to lie they wouldn't know I was the one who called anyway) and they just wanted something from my "doctor" saying local anesthesia and xrays are fine. I told her that I'm seeing a CNM, not an OB, but that she does the same thing and yadda yadda...just to make sure I didn't get any crap and she just laughed. I've been reading too many stories on MDC about other HCPs refusing stuff from MWs because they think they're not real HCPs. So I called my midwife and they're faxing it over now. yay!