Dental Work While Pregnant

I had to have a root canal while I was pregnant in my first trimester. The pain was unbearable and something needed to be done. Both my dentist and my obgyn agreed that more damage could be done to the baby through an untreated infection than through the medications they gave me and also the dental work that had to be done. I am now the happy mother of a very healthy 9 month old!!!!!!!!

Hi D.,
I worked as a dental assistant for 14 years before becoming pregnant with my daughter (now 10 months old). There are very safe ways to have dental treatment while pregnant. Obviously, no nitrous oxide and it is best to wait until your second trimester. However, you can't go around in pain for 9 months either so you are better off having the immediate pain fixed and waiting on anything that is not urgent. They most likely will need to take an xray...just ask that they put an extra lead apron over your belly in addition to the one they should put over your entire upper body and neck. I would not worry about having anesthetic or any of the products they will need to use. Your dentist should know what it safe in your condition (most everything besides the nitrous oxide is perfectly fine). Good luck and try not to worry, it is a very common thing for pregnant women to go through!!! ;) Oh, P.S. Make sure and keep having your teeth cleaned regularly while you're pregnant too. It's not only safe but it is good for your baby...low birth weight has recently been linked to gum disease! H. D

D.- Your dentist will certainly be the best judge of your situation, but I wouldn't worry too much. I had plenty of work done during my pregnancy, even a root canal. The second trimester is preferred, mainly due to the fact that woman tend not to feel as well during the first trimster and it is hard to lay on your back for lond periods during the third. However, a tooth ache could be a sign of an infection, which could be worse for your baby than x-rays or dental work if left untreated. Good Luck

I'm not a huge fan of the dentist either. :/ I've never had a problem going when I was pregnant, though. You can use novacane, just not the nitrous oxide (laughing gas) or sedation. I've had cavities filled, my teeth cleaned, and even had one extracted (I broke it on a popcorn hull during my pregnancy) without any problems. I guess the only thing I'd be concerned about is a root canal, but your dentist will be able to tell you everything you need to know. Good luck, and congratulations on #2!!

I had 7 cavaties when I was first pregnant. You might have to wait until your 2nd trimester to have work done on it. At least that's what my dentist did. No x-rays! So, the 2nd trimester I had 3 seperate visits to get them fixed. Obviously let them know that you are pregnant & they will use different numbing stuff. I think my dentist used Polocaine because it had no epinephrine in it.

Good luck!

Hi, it's actually best, and very important, to take care of any dental problems asap. Infection can lead to serious problems in pregnancy, including problems with fetal development and premature labor. There are safe antibiotics to use during pregnancy.

A little about me:
34 yr-old, 2nd pregnancy, OB RN, doula

Hi D.,
I would just wait for your dentist appointment. He or she will know what you can and can't do. I went for cleanings while pregnant I just didn't get any x-rays.
Chris

Make sure u tell them u are pregant..So they can cover your u up before X-rays I had my teeth pulled was I was pregant all my teeth expect bottom teeth

Obviously, I'm going to agree with everyone else that your dentist would be the best judge of things. I had a cavity when I was expecting my second, but my dentist chose to not fill it until after the baby was born, "just to be safe" but told me if it became painful, he would fill it. However, I was told that I could not have the nitrous-oxide (laughing gas) because that goes directly to the baby.

I hope they can figure out something that will work for you! Tooth pain is no fun!

Go to the dentist! He/She won't do anything to harm the baby and besides, your health is very important. Did you know that your teeth have a large impact on that! It controls everthing from moods from colds to flu. Honest.

Don't worry if it's a cavity, your dentist should be able to take care of it without any kind of numbing medication. I know it sounds crazy, but I've had two or three fillings put in without medication and it didn't hurt. It amazed me that it didn't! I would think it best to take care of it now before it gets so bad you can't stand it because you can't take pain killers when you're pregnant.

I'm a little late in responding, but I had to have a root canal when I was pregnant with my twins. I was in my second tremester and in an unbelievable amount of pain. And like everyone else is saying, risk of an infection is much more harming to the baby than the dental work...at least that's what I was told. They had to do x-rays, but took all the precautions they needed to for the babies. I had a great dentist (too bad he's in CA) So good luck and hopefully you can get rid of your toothache. =)

See your dentist. I had work done early in my pregnancy. Just let your dentist know you are pregnant. They know the precautions to take. The decaying tooth is much more dangerous to your baby than anything the dentist can do. Good luck!
A. - mom of super-healthy Milo 5 1/2 months