Tooth extraction while pregnant....?

I have been in really really bad pain from my teeth for a while but I HATE dentist. well now that I am pregnant for the 5th time it is worse! It finally got bad enough that I had to go see an emergency dentist on a sat. at 6pm and pay $700.00 out of pocket to have 2 teeth surgically removed. I felt So much better and on Sunday I ate everything in sight causing another tooth on the otherside of my mouth to start killing me! So anyways, I finally got the courage to go to the dentist today and I was so ready to have him pull it, he said he does not pull teeth on women over 30 weeks preg. because it causes too much stress on the baby and it will make me go into labor (like the pain is not enough stress!) so he wants me to go to an oral surgeon so they can sedate me (I thought sedation was bad while preg.?). He also would not give me anything for pain to hold me until I could see the surgeon . Why would one do it but he wont? Should I make an appt. with another and not tell them Im preg?

Tooth extraction while pregnant....?
You're so right when you say "like the pain is not enough stress"! Some dentists are way behind the times.


Yes, you can have any treatment you need, including local anaesthetic (usually lidocaine with adrenaline), Xrays, antibiotics (usually a penicillin), and moderate painkillers like Tylenol. The sooner you have the tooth removed, then the sooner you will feel better, and the sooner you'll be unstressed!


The only restriction with local anaesthetics is to avoid prilocaine with felypressin, as the felypressin can stimulate contractions.


If you need further reassurance, then talk to your obstetrician. He won't want you to be trying to last out the pregnancy with a toothache. Then find a useful dentist who has some common sense, but you should still tell them you're pregnant. Maybe THEY'LL feel reassured if they speak to your obstetrician.
Reply:I don't know about you, but I had a few teeth pulled when I was over 30 weeks pregnant with a little bit of novocaine and nothing else. It didn't make me go into labor or anything else like that, Matter of fact my baby (3rd one) ended up being born two weeks late!
Reply:no, you should never withhold info from a medical person...this could hurt your baby. I would talk to your OB and ask them any info related to this. pregnancy is a real strain on mouth health as it is. I do know that you should never use the kind of novicaine that has the ephinephrine in it (the stuff that makes it numb you faster) because if it goes into your blood stream it can make the baby's heart rate go too high.
Reply:Most dentists try not to do work on pregnant women, especially women past the 2nd trimester. The numbing medicine can be stressful on the baby and possibly comprimise the pregnancy. There are no pain meds other than Tylenol that are allowed for pregnant women. Most antibiotics are not given unless an emegency, unknown side effects on baby. I doubt an oral surgeon will sedate you and do the extractions either. Usually, they clean your teeth during pregnancy and that is it.
Reply:No problem. My wife did it while pregnant and nothing happened. We had a beautiful baby boy.
Reply:Different practitioners have different comfort levels when it comes to the third trimester of pregnancy. It is definitely better to have your tooth pulled now so you don't develop an infection that would actually affect the baby. As for pain medicine, acetaminophen (tylenol) is what is safe for pregnant women.


Why do you HATE us so much, we're only here to help you. Pls go for regular checkups so you don't have to deal with a crisis at the worst possible time. Hope you have a safe delivery.
Reply:The dentist may have just been concerned about how stressed you get at the dental office. He may sense how uncomfortable you are there... It sounds like you may get really stressed out, which would raise your own heart rate and Blood pressure, as well as your baby's. He is probably being cautious, and playing it safe. I would respect his opinion, but also get a second opinion from another dentist. Last, maybe before you even get the tooth pulled, see your doctor and ask his opinion on whether this procedure would possibly cause problems with your baby. In the medical field, doctors have to be overly cautious at times, to cover themselves from "what ifs" that might happen. I wouldn't be upset over it though... ultimately, it is better for a doctor to be overly cautious than to jump into something and find out it caused problems with your baby later... oh, and you should always be honest with your doctor, don't omit that you are pregnant, as his decisions do need to depend on all the information available, especially for your child's sake.