I've ALWAYS had terrible teeth! I have always been anal about brushing AT LEAST twice a day w/ my electric toothbrush, and flossing 1x a day, but regardless I have the worst teeth ever. On top of this I've had braces twice a root canal (that was a TERRIBLE experience) and jaw surgery as well! So needless to say I'm pretty anxious about dental work even when I'm not pregnant.
Well I've been bad and haven't been to the dentist in over a year. I decided I needed to make an appointment, and literally shortly after making the appointment for April 15th, I started having this terrible pain every time I try to chew on a bottom molar. :-( I'm a wreck about getting dental work done while pregnant and really fear since I have let my dental checkups go for so long that I may need a root canal, and I'm sure knowing my luck I have more cavities! :-/
Have any of you had to have a root canal or cavities filled during pregnancy? I need some reassurance that all will be ok.
Re: Worried about dental work! :-(
I haven't had any dental work done while I've been pregnant, but I'm a dentist, so I can give you some advice about dental work during pregnancy. The second trimester is the best time to have work done (1st tri - lots of things are forming in baby; 3rd tri - you get big and uncomfortable, stress can throw you into labor) -BUT- I've worked on patients that were weeks away from giving birth, when you need something done, you need something done. Some OBs will ask the dentist to use a local anesthetic without epinephrine, which only means that your numbness won't last as long before they have to give you another dose. I always try to make sure that I don't do too much work on a pregnant patient in one day, so that we don't have to worry about giving too much numbing.
There isn't anything inherently unsafe about having any dental procedures done during pregnancy. Try to have them limit the number of x-rays that they take, but if you need one to diagnose the problem, them don't hesitate to get one. You get radiation during ultrasounds, too and most women love to have those!!
**Obviously, none of this is "professional opinion", can't do that without seeing you **
You'll need to talk to your OB about it. I have a couple small cavities that need to be filled- we found out right after I got pregnant. The dentist said they're not at all high-priority, and they can wait until my OB is comfortable. My OB said that unless it's a vital procedure, she'd prefer to wait until I have the baby (which is the plan).
Both the dentitst's and OB's opinions specific to your situation will be important.
www.cozylittlecave.com
I've been putting off a root canal out of fear! I guess I will just have to bite the bullet and do it. I'm so glad to have you girls to listen to.
ETA: OP, I completely understand your teeth. Mine are the same way. I hate it!
natural m/c and d&c at 10 weeks - 1/24/2014
DX w/ hetero C677t and A1298C MTHFR - 3/4/2014