Root Canal During Prengnancy? : ( « Back to Group Discussions

[livelovelaugh]

Looks like all of my jaw pain could actually be separate from my sinus stuff...and I might need a rot canal.  Anyone ever had to have one during pregnancy?  I will be 24 weeks on Monday, when I would get it.  If you have had a root canal or know someone who has, how did it go?  I don't want to be doing any of this during pregnancy!!  But I also know that I don't want to get anywhere near the point of a nasty infection that gets into my bloodstream. :  (  Fun!

[BroodyWoodsgal]

Ugh, you gotta do what you've gotta do...but I would spend some time, if I were you, looking into some of the research (that is old and new) that has had more light shed on it, to do with the dangers and long term health effects of root canals.

I'm actually in a similar boat. I was having strange pain and knew that my top wisdom teeth were coming in at a funky angle...well, they are more than funky. They are creating a real problem! I am being told that I have to get them pulled and get fillings in the molars in front of them SOON...or they could get bad enough that I will need root canals..ahhhh! I guess they came in with NO space in between the wisdom teeth and the molars in front of them.

I didn't realize I was feeling "cavity pain" because I haven't had cavities...ugh. This never would have happened without these stupid wisdom teeth.

So, I get what you're going through...it's a really crappy place to be. I REALLY don't want to get anything done during pregnancy, but I feel like I have to do whatever I can to avoid a root canal. :(

[livelovelaugh]

Oh my goodness!  Wisdom teeth!  So sorry.  Teeth woes during pregnancy are just awful.  I hate being faced with this...but feel like it is not really a decision, because if I don't get the root canal then I risk abscess which is a worse for baby...Thank you so much for your response...it helps so much to talk through this when I feel so helpless.  I am pretty confident after seeing this doc today that I am headed for a root canal, and while it is the last thing I want to do, I think I am stuck.  The pain is making it so that I cannot parent my other three children because it is so debilitating.  Awesome!  Thanks again, and good luck to you!  keep me updated!

[tri31]

As broodywoods mentioned it is worth looking into the pros and cons. I read an artical last week that has me concerned, about the dental work I had as a child. Root canals are mentioned here as well.

http://biodentist.com/services/root-canal-toxicity/

[LionessMom]

most of my teeth have root canals. there was no other way to save them. it was either that or pull them. i was only 23 when my dental issues started and i wanted to keep my teeth. all but 3 are canalled and crowned. most done while pregnant. i understand the warnings about it but when you are in that much pain and the infection is spreading into your jaw, you just want the pain to go away. i am pretty sure that my genetic issues and my food intolerances are the reasons i had such bad teeth. my baby teeth even came in yellow. i was formula fed. my children who have the same genetic issues and intolerances they do have nice beautiful white teeth. they were breastfed and eat a diet that is low in intolerable foods. 

i dont think you can cure an abcess once it gets too bad. i have only had one canal get reinfected and have to be pulled. it has been 12 years since my first canal and it is still in my mouth. i would rather have my original teeth at this point than dentures. i can tell when my teeth (even the canalled ones under the crowns) are suffering from my poor eating habits. the gums react as well. and pregnancy makes it worse bc you need extra minerals for the baby's teeth. 

do you use cell salts? they can help with recovery from the root canal and help your other teeth stay strong. i would evaluate how you are eating too. i seriously need to quit giving in to my cravings. i can feel my teeth get softer. 

[Nicole730]

Jaw pain sucks! I had a root canal not pregnant and it was such a relief. I think I have heard the numbing stuff they use is safe during pregnancy, and it would definitely be worth it to me. The actual root canal process is not that bad, sounds scarier than it is.

[livelovelaugh]

Thanks everyone for all of the feedback!  I have been doing some reading, and have not come across too much negative information, but of course a root canal is the last thing I want right now.  So is a systemic infection that could harm the baby or cause preterm labor.  No good choices here it seems.  :  ( 

[tinams8]

I've heard they are not as bad as they sound.  I hope it goes as smoothly as possible! You gotta do what you gotta do, right? good luck with it.

[wanderinblues]

i would definitely get the root canal once i had determined that it was relatively safe. i have had two and they are really not that bad. its just local anasthetic, a dental dam to keep you from swallowing any chemicals, and little bits of wire followed by bleach to clean out and kill the tooth's nerve. i would be much more concerned about infection, not to mention crippling pain.

one thing though: its my impression that the tooth should be crowned if its been root canalled. maybe its just my awful teeth, but both of my root canalled teeth have broken enamel that has been slowly chipping away from around the filling material that makes up the core of the tooth. one f them barely has any actual tooth left to it at all and im surprised its still in my mouth. i sure wish i could afford crowns, having bad teeth sucks! 

anyway, good luck. once you have the root canal done, the pain is gone.

[livelovelaugh]

You ladies are awesome. Thank you for helping me through this.  Potentially amazing thing happened this morning...my regular dentist wanted to see me when he caught wind of the root canal, checked me out, and was quite certain that what had been going on was "the perfect storm" of my bad sinus issues and my grinding that I do at night.  He adjusted my bite top and bottom by taking a bit off of each tooth, and had an impression taken for a night guard.  Today was the first day that I have not had pain, just subtle tight feeling in jaw...didn't have to take Tylenol...My fingers are crossed and I am praying and praying this is the solution!  Still a lot of cash, but about 1/4 the cost of root canal and crown.  I wanted to cry and hug my dentist for helping me to avoid putting my baby through a root canal.  :  )

[BroodyWoodsgal]

The problem with root canals (and this is not new information, it's just newly recognized by mainstream dentistry- and only there on the fringes) is that there is no way for the practitioner to truly sterilize where the root has been and basically an unnatural space is created which harbors intense infection in the fluid around the remaining bone....which is not a problem until this infection (which does not behave like normal infection...it's like infection on steroids) travels to other tissues in the body and causes all kind of holy hell.

This is something which has been researched intensely and documented by some very brilliant minds.

Read this (and really, read it...if you are thinking of getting a root canal, you should really take the time):

http://www.tldp.com/issue/157-8/157rootc.htm

It's far from the only thing out there to read, I just think he does an excellent job giving the basics and a bit of very interesting insight into the history of this large body of research (for instance, the practice of removing the tooth that was root canaled from the mouth of a person suffering chronic illness and embedding it under the skin of a rabbit...only to have the rabbit (in rapid fashion) develop the exact chronic illness being suffered by the patient....) There is a large body of very compelling evidence to back the idea that a root canal is actually an extremely bad idea for your long term health.