Help! My sis is pg with abcessed tooth

[Labbemama]

I was wondering if you had any naturalistic suggestions for her.
She's 30 weeks pregnant with a horribly abcessed tooth. She can't find a denstist given her current her state. Nobody wants to take her on.

She went to the ER last night and the dr. gave her antibiotics and vicodin which she decided not to take for the pain. (We were joking the baby's middle name could be "house" like the tv dr.)

This part is really gross...



The abcess burst this morning.


She's miserable and tired and in a lot of pain and has 2 other kids to care for. Her dh is in Iraq. She lives in Texas around Ft. Hood. So another way ya'll could help is if you know of a dentist who might take her case.

Added: her ER dr. said that it would be hard to find anyone to take her. :-(
Also of concern she began having some contractions after the infection took hold.

Have any of you seen any articles linking PreTerm Labor to tooth decay? I swear it's what set my own PTL off. Anyhow...I'm very concerned and wish I was closer to help her out, so this is about all I can do. Any suggestions would be appreciated. TIA.

[nalo]

Dental health definately impacts a growing baby which is why they push so hard for good oral care to avoid gingivitis and the like. I'm confused why no one would "take her". Does she not have a regular dentist? Why would they refuse to take her as a patient just like anyone else? This doesn't make sense to me. I assume from your post that she has decided to take the abx. Just make sure she takes the entire course and doesn't stop part way through. Also suggest to her that she start taking probiotics to help counter all the negative effects of the abx. I don't know anything about abcesses but does this mean she needs her tooth pulled? I would also post in the regular health section because hopefully you can get some good ideas for how to fight infection naturally if she really cannot get dental treatment after the abx so at least she can keep infection at bay for the rest of the pregnancy. Also - her doc or midwife should be working closely with her on this because it is a big concern. You never mentioned this provider info in your post so I don't know what that scenario is. You are right to be worried - especially since she had some contractions. Please try to help her find appropriate medical care.

[dds07]

She definitely needs to have it treated asap. This can be very harmful to the baby and to her. Get the infection under control immediately-by extraction of the tooth, root canal, etc. Antibiotics do not treat the source of the abscess, they are like a bandaid that helps temporarily. She needs an emergency appointment. I'm very surprised no one will take her. Does she have an insurance that no one accepts?

[SleeplessMommy]

I would call every dentist and endo within a 5+ hour driving distance. This is really important to have treated. A 30-week preemie will cost much more than an extraction or root canal procedure.

An alternative would be to take abx for the reminder of the pregnancy. This should be discussed with the obgyn of course. Maybe the Obgyn knows a dentist that will handle this kind of emergency? If she can't get it treated, she needs immediate monitoring for pre-term-labor and a whole bunch of other interventions.

[goodygumdrops]

I have to agree with pp. I had a emergency root canal when I was 12 weeks preggo. I did the bare minimum but it is really important to take care of this...can really harm the baby.

I'm really surprised that no dr will help. I had to have xrays and the dentist covered me with several shields and they were very careful with the machine.

GL

[Slabobbin]

I am 32 weeks pregnant and am recovering from an abscess tooth (as well as a horrible sinus infection - I think the two were related). My midwife prescribed antibiotics and Hydrocodone until I could get in to see the dentist. The dentist did an x-ray and covered my belly with two shields. He then replaced the filling in the tooth (that was the source of the problem). But until she gets that tooth fixed, the is going to continue to have problems.

And actually, the abscess bursing is a GOOD thing. The infection can drain out now. She should start to feel better. I wish mine would have burst!