Wisdom teeth removal. Is anesthesia safe?

psypixie · October 2014

So I'm 21, and 16 weeks along.
I was supposed to have my wisdom teeth pulled in August, but found out I was expecting at the end of July. Go figure.

They are impacted and have been extremely painful; causing severe migraines, jaw aches, and ear issues....and of course Tylenol does absolutely nothing for me, and I can't take ibuprophen.

My question is, should I get them removed during pregnancy, or deal with the pain and wait until after?
I've read different things about being under anesthesia during pregnancy and some of the things I've read scares me.
Anyone have experience with anesthesia during pregnancy?

kellbell1982 · October 2014

Ask the doctor, I'm confused as to why you think internet strangers are better equipped to answer that question?

cafecreme · October 2014

I was just at the dentist's a few days ago for a cleaning, and she told me to wait until after the baby gets here. I also have 2 that need to be taken out.

Unknown · October 2014

This content has been removed.

thejucheidea · October 2014

breezie32 · October 2014

I had mine pulled in my 6th month with my first son. I was only allowed local, novacaine. It wasn't that bad.

DM718 · October 2014

You really need to consult both your dentist and your OB or midwife. There are some connections between dental health and overall health that you need to be careful about, and it's possible that if there's an infection, it could go into your blood stream (I have no clue if there is an infection, but some dental pains are caused by infections). I think your dentist can hopefully give you a good idea of what is going on and what can be done, and your OB or midwife are probably better versed in what could go wrong for you with or without treating this issue.

rm2013 · October 2014

Talk to your OB, and evaluate the severity of the issue with the dentist. As a general indication, you are NOT going to be put under for this because you're pregnant. If they are in bad shape and rotting you may need to have them pulled with only local shots in your gums because having serious decay could lead to other issues that could impact your pregnancy (pre-term labor) or the baby if you get a bad infection. Or if the migraines continue to be really bad your OB may ok the removal, again with only numbing shots. Not pleasant but if it can't wait then what can you do.

As others said, WE can't give you any answer, you will need to discuss with both providers.

psypixie · October 2014

I'm not asking for medical advice per say, I was just curious if anyone else had undergone a procedure in which they had to be put under and what the outcome was. That's all.

psypixie · October 2014

I do have a dentist appointment and another OB appointment in a couple weeks, again just looking for someone who may have had similar experience.

JCWhitey · October 2014

I bit a hole into a tooth in the back of my mouth in the first trimester and they wouldn't go near it until after the baby was born. The dentist wouldn't even do local. It was kind of a pain to even get them to do a cleaning and they insisted on doing it in four visits (one part of my mouth each visit). It was the biggest PITA ever. But this was CA, things are crazy out there and I think they were being overly cautious because I've never heard of anyone else not being able to get a normal cleaning.

rm2013 · October 2014

psypixie said:

I'm not asking for medical advice per say, I was just curious if anyone else had undergone a procedure in which they had to be put under and what the outcome was. That's all.

In the earlier post I said " As a general indication, you are NOT going to be put under for this because you're pregnant."

Unless you are in a life-threatening situation where you must be operated on no one will put you to sleep. Period. So yes, someone on this board may have had to have an appendix or gallbladder removed or something like that while pregnant, but it makes no sense to ask for their experience because you will not be put to sleep for getting wisdom teeth removed. So you will either have to take numbing shots in your gums or wait until after you have the baby.

starfishlovesyou · October 2014

I had to have an emergency extraction during my last pregnancy, and I was not put under. This time I need my remaining three wisdom teeth removed, and they will not be waiting for me to deliver. They use local anesthesia (novocaine) and give oxycodone for the pain after. I would still talk to both your dentist and OB to find out exactly what to expect, and what is safe.

stine28 · October 2014

psypixie said:
I'm not asking for medical advice per say, I was just curious if anyone else had undergone a procedure in which they had to be put under and what the outcome was. That's all.

Um, read what you wrote in your original post:

psypixie said:
So I'm 21, and 16 weeks along.
I was supposed to have my wisdom teeth pulled in August, but found out I was expecting at the end of July. Go figure.

They are impacted and have been extremely painful; causing severe migraines, jaw aches, and ear issues....and of course Tylenol does absolutely nothing for me, and I can't take ibuprophen.

My question is, should I get them removed during pregnancy, or deal with the pain and wait until after?
I've read different things about being under anesthesia during pregnancy and some of the things I've read scares me.
Anyone have experience with anesthesia during pregnancy?

This is a request for medical advice. You may have unique circumstances that would sway your doctor & dentist to recommend one way or the other. Looking for anecdotes and medical advice online really isn't a good idea.

GingerMommy315 · October 2014

I was told that if there is a risk of infection to the tooth, that it is safer to get it done while pregnant then it is to wait. I think it's all on a case by case basis, though. I would speak to both my dentist and OB.

Unknown · October 2014

This content has been removed.

jerzeemomma · October 2014

I recently had surgery and was given 3 options for anasthesia, one of them being general. Each of the three was weighted based on risk to the baby and to me. They said that General anasthesia is *usually* safe for the baby. I ended up choosing the least invasive option which was local right around the surgery area as there was no impact at all to the baby. They also gave me a nice mild sedative (also perfectly safe) which felt amazing after not having a drink for 4 months. I even told the doc "that was fun!!" After the whole thing. Weirdo.

All that said, every case is different and as other posters have said I would get your dentist and ob on the same page and let them make the call. My recommendation is if it's safe enough with infections etc to wait until after baby gets here, you should. I'm still recovering after over 2 weeks and the pain management has been a b*tch without anything stronger than tylenol.

Good luck!

jpavenski · October 2014

I just had to have my appendix out last week & of course they had no choice but to put me under. Baby came through great. Like people have said though teeth are prob different, I think a friend of mine they did gas, maybe that is an option you should ask about.

Want a personalized experience?

Wisdom teeth removal. Is anesthesia safe?

Re: Wisdom teeth removal. Is anesthesia safe?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards