dental work

beccam1230 · February 2014

I have 3 weeks left until my due date! I'm hoping he decides to be somewhat on time but of course I know the odds of that. Even guessing is iffy, I never had a dating ultrasound but he's been measuring on track. So we will see. I'm just anxious!
My actual question is about getting dental work done in the third trimester. On friday night, I ended up in intense pain and had to go to the emergency dentist. He took one xray (which I wasn't overly thrilled about but I didn't really see the option) and found a wisdom tooth in awful shape, which had to immediately be pulled. The pain went away, which was wonderful. He also saw a cavity that needs to be taken care of asap, and cannot wait another 3 weeks. I made an appt with a regular dentist for today and they first had to call my ob to see what an acceptable course of treatment would be.
Of course im willing to deal with anything to ensure the baby is ok, and assuming all treatment is acceptable, great! I would love to get it taken care of and have it all finished by the time he gets here.
Finally the question... I haven't had dental treatment during pregnancy so I'm wondering about other experiences. Has anyone had dental work like this done in the third trimester? What did you have done?
I'm just worried they'll tell me they need to wait!

Btw... I actually do brush and floss twice a day! My teeth are going crazy!

food_chick · February 2014

I have cavities I need to get filled and I've been debating getting them done before or after baby, too. Of course, I really really hate dental work of any kind so I'm mostly just putting it off. I'm curious what others say. And it's normal for teeth to go crazy in pregnancy, sucks, but it's normal.

beccam1230 · February 2014

It does suck! My dentist told me today that when they contacted my ob, she cleared me for any work that needed done so I'm getting a filling and cleaning on thursday! I'm obviously not extremely excited about getting the work itself done but I'm very happy to get it over with. He gave me the option of waiting until after delivery too but I think if I do that, I'll procrastinate until I have more of a problem.

food_chick · February 2014

Good to know. Hopefully I'll remember to ask at my appt tomorrow. It would be nice to just have it done with.

BKD1386 · February 2014

The only time that most won't do any dental treatment is during the 1st tri, good luck!

Avion22 · February 2014

My dentist said that they COULD do treatments in the 3rd tri if the benefits outweighed the risks. For example, they don't like to do routine x-rays during pregnancy, but if you have an emergency and need one (like in your situation) then it's not a big deal to do one or two as long as you're shielded. I would also be aware of not lying on your back for too long during the procedure -- see if they can have you semi-sitting. I also still get nausea when brushing my teeth (overactive gag reflex), so if that's been an issue for you then you might want to mention it.

LolaX2 · February 2014

Pregnancy has been horrible on my teeth I have had to have 3 fillings in the past 3 weeks! One big one that was between two teeth and another not as big but they really didn't want to wait and let get worse. I just needed a letter form my OB stating that I could have the work done. I am a HR pregnancy and my OBs while it is not an ideal time to have dental work done they were fine with the work that needed to be done they just said no Epineferen (sp?) which is the normal stuff they use to numb you. they had to use something else that doesn't last as long. Everything was fine. You may just want to bring a small pillow to put under your back to feel more comfortable as you are pretty much laying on your back.

I just had the last of the 3 fillings done this morning at 30 weeks.

LolaX2 · February 2014

Oh yeah - I had to get x-rays done too. they just used 2 extra thick apron blocks and the xrays are super fast. My OB was not really concerned

pigtails1031777 · February 2014

It's safe! Take care of it now because you'll put it aside later. You don't want infection in your mouth at anytime.
Just confirm they do NOT use lidocaine or anything with epi.
I'm a hygienist.

awknyc · February 2014

Both my OB & dentist said it was fine but with specific types of antibiotics (only penicillin based) and certain anesthesia. I had to have a root canal redone and my endodontist double aproned me for the x-rays. Better to get the infection out of your body sooner than later.

beccam1230 · February 2014

Thank you all! I'm getting it done tomorrow so I won't be bothered with it when I have a new baby! Cleaning is next week just to make sure there are no other issues :-)

ELM77 · February 2014

My OB and dentist, cleared me for any necessary dental work during my pregnancy. Of course they both said that pre-caution measures should be taken w/ x-rays.

WashingtonQueen · February 2014

My first pregnancy wreaked havoc on my teeth but I never got anything done about it. During my second pregnancy my midwife advised me to see a dentist (a new policy of theirs). They had to take care of a lot while I was pregnant with my daughter - x rays, cleanings, pulling a tooth, and filling several cavities. They knew I was pregnant (the practice specializes in pregnant women and children) and everything was fine.

You are 3 weeks from your due date, though. The dentist I went to would not work on you anymore a month out from the due date. My last appointment was 2 months out from my due date and it was extremely hard on me. DD was pushing up into my lungs when they had me laying down and was made so much worse when they tilt you back with your head below your body. They had to keep stopping because I couldn't breathe.

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