Teeth problems - Breastfeeding

[Knossos]

Hello,

My name is David, and my wife is breast feeding our 1 month old baby boy.

She has had teeth problems for the last several months, she couldn't do anything while pregnant. We are wary about doing anything about it even now because she is breast feeding. The problem is the pain is becoming unbearable.

We saw the dentist as an emergency appointment the other day and they did a filling, which fell out again the same evening so that hasn't really helped at all. We have another appointment next thursday.

My wifes teeth situation is that one tooth has an exposed nerve and one tooth has an infection. She said that

I guess my question is, is there anything that she can take to relieve the pain, or at least take the edge off. If she wasn't breast feeding I would get her to take Ibuprofen to reduce inflammation and dull the pain, but she can't take that. Is there may be a natural way that wouldn't be harmful for the baby?

Thank you for any help :)

[Youngfrankenstein]

I think as long as you alert the dentist that you're nursing, there should be no problem.  I had lots of dental work while pregnant and they used different pain killers in my mouth than usual.  They used something that was enough to kill the pain but didn't last as long.

I would not put off dental work due to nursing.  It would be horrible trying to care for a newborn with a mouth of pain.

Take care!

[Knossos]

They are very cautious about that kind of thing here in Germany. I'm British, my wife is American, go figure! It also doesn't help that she is a stubborn lass :(

The pain isn't constant at least, it comes and goes, but when it does hit she is in so much pain. She barely gets enough sleep as it is :(

I will get her to call the dentist tomorrow and may be get an emergency appointment again.

[GuavaGirl]

Is there a reason that you say she can't take ibuprofen?  Both ibuprofen and acetaminophen are approved for use during lactation.  

Here is a chart that you might find helpful.  

http://www.kellymom.com/health/meds/pain-meds.html

[Knossos]

I am just going by what I have been told by my wife. I think she is being paranoid.

Thank you very much for the link, that is really helpful.

[fruitfulmomma]

SafeFetus.com also says ibuprofen is fine while breastfeeding, it is more of a concern for pregnant women. I've never had any issues taking it while breastfeeding. Also, had work done to remove a cavity-filled wisdom tooth while I was breastfeeding, no problems. (It was bad while I was pregnant but dentist would not do the work until I had given birth.)

If she has an infection she needs to get that dealt with ASAP or it could spread into her body and cause far more problems.

[GuavaGirl]

You're welcome!  You can let her know that the book used as a source in that chart is well respected in the breastfeeding community.  If she's still cautious about it, you can reassure her that she'll only be taking it for a short amount of time.  Many women are prescribed high doses of ibuprofen or other medication after birth to deal with pain from tearing or a c-section.  

[Knossos]

Well it is always a bit iffy as to what the Germans will allow. They are over-careful.

My wife had a completely natural birth (no painkillers of any kind, couldn't have an epidural because of a scar on her spine). There was tearing and she needed stitches, and she was given nothing for that either.

Perhaps we haven't pushed the issue enough to let them know that the situation is bad enough.