8 Weeks Pregnant & Needing a Root Canal & Crown!

Good luck- just want you to know when I was pregnant recently I got a cavity filled w/no anesthesia- I was scared but it was fine. Root canal's much deeper- the anesthesia should be fine- pain medication is an issue- and I think you don't want to take Advil or Motrin- there are other better pain meds. that are safe.

Hi J.. I am a dentist, and you should confirm with your dentist and your OB, but it should be perfectly fine for you to get the root cananl and crown. The anesthetic should not affect the baby. In fact, waiting could introduce bacteria into your blood stream and cause more problems down the line (but it sounds like you may be having some pain and wouldn't want to put it off, anyway). It is usually fine to take antibiotics during pregnancy, if needed - but again, I would check with your OB and give him/her the name of the antibiotic just to be sure. Remember to keep your mouth clean and floss daily during pregnancy and nursing, because all those crazy hormones can cause bleeding gums ("pregnancy gingivitis"). Good luck!
- N. Provenzano, D.D.S.

Hi J.! When I was 5 months pregnant I had a root canal and oral surgery. They just did a local anesthetic and I didn't need antibiotics. You'll want to do it sooner rather than later because you won't want an infection to go into your bloodstream and harm the baby and because when your belly is bigger you won't be able to lay down on your back. As long is baby is fine I think you'll be ok.

Get the root canal. They wouldn't do it if it wasn't safe. Alot of the numbing meds they use now, don't completely make it to the fetus. They only use what is necessary to numb you up.
I am sure you have heard from the doc by now. He will tell you what to do. Pregnancy and teeth issues can go hand and hand so treat it now so it won't cause bigger problems later in pregnancy.
trish

I had to have an emergency crown replacement which involved some trimming of my gums (yick!) during this pregnancy. My OB and my dentist agreed on the following guidelines:

- Injectable anesthetics ending in "-caine" were all OKed (novocaine, lidocaine, etc).
- NO NITROUS OXIDE
- No systemic sedatives (no sedative pills)
- No pain killers afterwards stronger than tylenol without checking with the OB first before taking them
- NO XRAYS

In general, everything I read suggested to defer until the second trimester if possible, but agreed that emergencies need to be dealt with.

The dentist did not think I needed antibiotics, but the OB said that if he had thought I needed antibiotics, penicillin, amoxicillin, and erythromicin were OK, but NO TETRACYCLINE because it can have bad effects on the development of the baby's teeth in utero.

Obviously your situation may be more severe than mine was, and you should go by what your own OB says, but I ended up doing fine with some local lidocaine in the gums for the work I had done, and it wasn't something that I could have deferred (I threw a crown and so had a bloody naked stump in my mouth, it couldn't wait until after the baby came :)

Hi J.
That happened to me too. For me there is something about being pregnant that my teeth just don't like. I had three filling fall out and a root canal during my first pregnancy. this pregnancy I have had to have a crown. I was worried, but everything was fine. I didn't need antibiotics, and the Dr. and Dentist both said the local anaesthesia would not harm the baby. They were very cautious with the x-rays, covered me well and only took the bare mimimum. They say bad, infected teeth are really bad for your body and the baby so your doing what you have to do. Don't worry my little girl is very healthy.

Definitely check with your doc, as other moms have said. It it helps wtih your peace of mind, I also had major dental work while pregnant (after checking with my doctor), and it was ok. I had a tooth implant put in for a tooth that had been removed before I became pregnant.

Hi J.,
I am not a doctor or dentist but also had to have a root canal while pregnant with my 1st daughter. I was probably 7-8 months along though. My dentist made sure not to take any extra x-rays and they not only covered my entire belly with the lead apron but also had me sit on one. Antibiotics were not necessary in my case and my obgyn said there would be no side effects to my baby from the numbing medications...but please talk to your obgyn or advice nurse 1st.

After I had my baby I needed quite alot of dental work and I never had issues before with my teeth. I would listen to your doctor on this one. Root canals can be very painful and I would get some pain medicine as long as it is safe for you and baby. I had to take lots of medicine when i was pregnant becuase my baby was 6 weeks early, and he is just fine. No problems! Get your teeth issues done now before it gets worse. Thats my advice.

V. Smith

Double check with your OB but I needed a root canal when I was about 16 weeks pregnant with my son. All I was told to do was to double shield up during the xrays that will be needed. I wasn't given any antibiotics and everything turned out well.

Good luck!

Talk to your ob/gyn before doing anything. This is when you need the ruling from a doc and not us moms.

Good Luck =

Hi J.,

I have had two root canals both when I was pregnant with my two children.
My OBGYN said it would be fine to forward with it, (since it was so painful to wait) my dentist was very careful with the xrays and the shots. I didn't take any meds after the procedure and everything went well.
Both children were born healthy, they are now 11 and 14 and I find no side effects except the moodiness of the teen years which I hear is normal.( I think this is far more painful than the root canals!)
Best of luck, get it done as soon as you can, it's just sooo painful to wait.. ouch!

T.

I was in your exact same situation and went ahead with the procedure. You cannot have advil or any anti-inflammatorys, but what's odd is that you can take Vicodin and tylenol. There is a certain type of novacaine your dentist needs to use too. it is more mild than what others get. They put a temporary cap on my tooth as when you are preggers you bleed more and your gums can swell. I had the real cap put on after i delivered my baby and got the good drugs then!

Hi J.,
Look at my profile for my experience in this area. Most dentists wait until AT LEAST the 2nd trimester before doing dental work, sometimes the 3rd trimester. How do you know you need a root canal? Were you diagnosed or are you having a major toothache? I would personally take antibiotics prior to the procedure because there is a CHANCE the local anesthesia won't work if you have an active infection. I would also see an endodontist (root canal specialist) for your root canal as that is all they do and are much better at it. They will take a few x-rays during the procedure but as long as they use a lead apron with a thyroid collar you and the baby are protected. A lot of dentists are using digital x-rays now which lowers the exposure even more. Sorry you are going through this, but congrats on the baby!
Sincerely,
L.

Dental work can be very stressful. Whether you decide to get a root canal and a crown or pull the tooth so as to not have the chemicals and materials permanately in your system, it is always wise to stay calm, relaxed and in your body during any proceedures. This assures that you are feeling and experiencing the experience and the body/mind will be less likely to store the information as deep stress. It can also be beneficial to look at the root causes (no pun intended) of inflamed and infected roots. The symbolic causes that manifest in the physical world have a tendency to continue to manifest (become real in your life and body)
I find that best practices in cases of physical emergencies is to take care of the emergency ASAP in the safest way possible.
and secondly to support the body during this with everything I can usually think of to lessen stress (organic and living foods, esp foods with B and C vitamins, natural probiotics and complementary therapies such as flower remedies, homeopathy, acupunture)

Second, I would address the underlying root cause in a very loving yet focused way. We are blessed to have in our hands wonderful new tools (Energy Psychology) for exploring this in an gentle and effective way. Using the Lousis Hay book, You Can Heal Your Life, I note that root issues are symbolic of root beliefs being destroyed and no longer supporting your life-foundation in a joyful way. Secondarily it affects breaking down decisons for analysis and action. This may be manifested as indecisivness. She has excellent affirmations that can be applied while one is disolving beliefs that no longer serve.
These energy psychogies bring energy and lifeforce back into the areas that had been blocked, as well as through the entire meridan system of the affected area. An example would be fear. This runs through the kidney meridian and includes knees, eyes and ankles. Legs getting weak with fear is not just symbolic! And to come full circle, the kidnesy are one organ you will be protecting when you are relaxed, breathing and in your body (present) during an operation. One easy way do this is to put your hand over your chestpoint and KEEP BREATHING and loving yourself.

(EFT, www.emofree.com, TAT, wwwtatlife.com, etc)

Hope this is helpful
Warmly,
L.

You definitely should have the root canal taken care of as soon as possible, so that it will not cause a serious infection in the surrounding areas. And, the bacteria you have will go to the baby. Not sure if antibiotics is necessary, but you do need to take care of the root canal asap. The novocaine will not cause any harm to the baby. Dental procedures are safe at any stage of pregnancy. It is better not to have an infection in the mouth.

I had a cavity when I was pregnant and didn't take care of it. So, the bacteria went to my son and he had 9 cavities including a root canal. He's 4 years old. So, I advise you to do the root canal soon. I hope this helps.

During all three of my pregnancies I had lots of dental work done. Just like when you are not pregnant the numbing stuff they give you will make you feel a little anxious, that feeling may be a little bit more enhanced because you are pregnant but it will not harm the baby. My last pregnancy I had a two tooth canals done and 4 fillings. (I inherited bad teeth). Good luck!

IT well be fine. I had to have two root canals done when i was prgo with JAmes. FOr me my teeth went to hell when i prego. i just took amxacillen(sorry iknow that is spelled wrong)and every thing was just fine. I even had to take Vicadin the pain was so bad. Which my doc said was fine becuase it is just really strong tylenoy. You need to get the infection under controle. if you don't it could get in your blood and then into the baby. But that would only happen if you don't do anything at all until the baby is born.
It well be fine and the baby well be healthier if you take good care of yourself including your teeth.
A.

Hi J.! Wow, Im sorry you are going thru that! I had the same thing happen to me, with my youngest son. The dentist put me on antibiotics and had me wait til I delivered to do the procedure. I was much further along than you are, so Im not sure how they would handle your situation. Good luck with everything! Keep us posted, because we all care =0)

There should be no problem having dentistry done during your pregnancy...especially if your dentist is good. Get it done sooner rather than later so you do not get an infection that requires antibiotics. Because unless the tooth is infected or you have a condition that requires pretreatment antibiotics, you should not need to take any oral medications. If you DO need antibiotics, make sure the dentist knows you are PG and ask what he is prescribing so you can check in with your OB/Gyn before you take it.

Ask for a porcelain or gold crown...it will cost a little more, but the materials are better for you and the baby. Porcelain will not last as long as gold, but it costs A LOT less!

Many dental insurance companies are realizing the need for PG women to have an extra cleaning during their pregnancy, so dental treatment should not be avoided...it is as important as eating right and exercising.

If you are still nervous talk to your OB/Gyn for some guidelines on treatment, but everything your dentist uses should be safe.

Take care and good luck with your first baby!

If I was you I would have the tooth pulled. I don't think that it's healthy for the baby to have a root canal because it is such a major thing to have done. You can't take very many antibiotic when you are pregnant but you will need to be put on some for sure after what ever you decide to do.

Hi J.,

The best advice I can say is whatever you do DO NOT use amalgams (sp?) they contain 50% mercury. Not only is this bad for you, but definitly not good for the baby. There are two states now that have to give out information to every patient who recieves them and they are not allowed to do them on children under 6 and pregnant women. Once you have amalgams they constantly for the life of the filling give of small amounts of mercury (and removing them dumps allot of mercury as well). http://www.mercurypolicy.org/new/documents/WhatPatientsDo...

D.

Dear J.,
Your dentist knows what to do.
The main thing is that he knows you are pregnant.
You have to take care of you in order to grow a healthy baby and I'm certain your dentist will take every precaution. Believe me....you are not the first pregnant woman with an absess or emergency dental need.

You and your baby will be fine, with a couple extra precautions taken by your dentist. (I worked for one, so I know this to be true).

Blessings!