Having a Tooth Pulled While 33Weeks Pregnant.

Updated on July 30, 2010
A.S. asks from Ontario, CA
31 answers

I would like to know if anyone has been in the situation where you need a tooth pulled while pregnant? and would like tp know if there were any side affects that might harm the baby? going to the dentist on thursday to see if my tooth can be pulled.i would prefer to wait till my baby is born.but the pain is really bad.

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H.C.

answers from San Diego on

There should be no side effects for the small amount of anesthetic used for ONE tooth. As long as sedation is not a factor, which, it shouldn't. The infection would be far more risky than the anesthesia used. Write me back if you have any more in depth questions... BTW, I'm a dental technician with docs by my side that can answer any questions you may have.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.T.

answers from San Diego on

I had my tooth pulled at 20 weeks, No side effects, and no more pain. I think the pain I did put on myself by waiting was more stressful on my baby then the anesthesia

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S.M.

answers from San Diego on

Don't worry!! it happened the same to me like 10 years ago. The dentist use another kind of anesthesia and everything was ok. No harm to the baby.
Good luck.

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S.B.

answers from San Diego on

Hello A.,
I am a dentist (with 18 years experience) and here my professional advice:
A tooth extraction is harmless to your pregnancy.You will be given a local anesthetic to numb the tooth ,then the anesthetic will be metabolized locally (when the numbness goes away), without affecting the rest of your body.
Leaving a tooth that needs to be extracted in your mouth is on the other hand not safe as a potential infection can spread to surrounding tissues and even your bloodstream.
So I recommend you get this tooth pulled as soon as you can (assuming this a simple extraction with a local anesthetic).
Hope this helps! Please email me at ____@____.com if you have any further questions or comments. Good luck!

S..

1 mom found this helpful
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M.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi A.....sorry to hear that you have pain...obviously there is a good reason for your pain.oral hygiene is very important during pregnancy and in our ob/gyn practice we refer moms to dentist all the time.any infection in your mouth can cause complications in pregnancy.most ob/gyn have special dental referral letter which makes clear for dentist to use specific antibiotic,local anesthetic agent or treatment for pregnant moms.ask your md for this type of referral and don't worry.also your dentist would know how to help you.in 25 years taking care of ob patients I have never seen preterm labor or complications due to dental care.good luck and congrd.

1 mom found this helpful
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V.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

You have to weigh the consequences of having the tooth pulled vs not having it pulled. During pregnancy, dental treatment is limited due to comfort of your mom, potential increase in high blood pressure because of stress...etc. If you need anything done, it is usually best to do it in your 2nd trimester. It sounds like your tooth is infected? If you wait too long, the infection can spread beyond the tooth into your face and possibly down your neck, which may cause even more severe problems for yourself and your pregnancy. If that's the case, you should probably take care of it as soon as possible. The baby should be fine. The best advice for women is to take care of all the severe dental work before they get pregnant, since xrays are also limited in pregnant women. If necessary, wait until after your 1st trimester when things with the baby are settled and risk of miscarriage drops. In the 3rd trimester you may be too uncomfortable in the dental chair. Hope this helps.

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K.T.

answers from Los Angeles on

I not only had to have two teeth pulled, but a root canal as well. The novocaine won't hurt the baby.... just be careful with the Xrays. Try to have them shoot from below, to minimize any radiation.

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M.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi A., I had two root canals during my second pregnancy and everything turned out fine. I did have to get a medical release from my obgyn stating that it was okay to receive treatment before my dentist would treat me. My obgyn was the one who prescribed pain medicine for me. He said it is actually better to have this done in the last trimester rather then earlier because the baby is almost fully developed. I hope this eases your concerns. I will say a prayer for you I know it is not fun dealing with dental issues

A little about me:

Mom of three children (8,7 &3)

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B.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

I had oral surgery (tooth removed) while I was pregnant and there was no problem. I just had to have a local anesthetic instead of a general. It's not a lot of fun, but it's not a risky procedure. Just make sure they know you're pregnant, especially when they're prescribing antibiotics or recommending painkillers.

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J.P.

answers from Los Angeles on

I needed to have a tooth pulled while I was pregnant and my dentist would not pull it until after I had the baby. He did give me some antibiotics and told me to take tylenol for the pain. That did work until I could have the tooth pulled. Same thing with my sister her dentist wouldn't pull her tooth either. I'm not sure what could happen to the baby but I would suggest trying to get some antibiotics and pain medication until after you have the baby.

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K.P.

answers from Los Angeles on

HI A.- I never had a tooth pulled while pregnant, but i imagine you are worried about the pain medication and its effect on the baby. I had kidney stones at 35 weeks and my doctor put me on Darvocet (2 pills equal the strength of 1 Vicodin). I was so worried about taking the medication-you spend months treating your body like a temple to keep your baby safe then, at the very end, you need to take pain meds. I just wanted to let you know that my daughter came out absolutely perfect- the medication had no effect whatsoever. She's now 20 months, talks up a storm, counts to 20, knows her letters, etc. My point is- she's fine! i hope that gives you just a little piece of mind to know there is someone else out there that had to take pain medication in her last trimester and her baby was not affected at all:)
K. P.

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K.R.

answers from Santa Barbara on

This all depends on the tooth. Is there a filling in the tooth? What you want to be careful of is what is the dentist going to use to numb the area? Also, is there bacteria?
I am going to send this off to a Dr. I work with who is natural in her approaches to see what she says. She works with pregnant women.

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S.O.

answers from Los Angeles on

With everything else being so cumbersome and uncomfortable by the time in the pregnancy almost doesn't seem fair to have dental problems on top of everything else, huh? I was approx 31 weeks pregnant with my twins when my wisdom teeth decided to become a problem. One of them cracked in half exposing the nerve making the pain intolerable and therefore waiting until after delivery...not an option! I had the tooth extracted utilizing novacain only....and the post extraction pain was very minimal compared to the toothache itself. If your dentist and doc say its ok....I suggest pulling it. Pregnancy should be wonderful...not plagued by a fixable toothache!

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R.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

I would check with the doctor and the dentist and make sure they feel it's safe. You'll feel so much better if the answer comes from them.

R.

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A.H.

answers from San Diego on

I had my wisdom teeth pulled while almost full term. Just make sure you get a local anethstetic and you'll be fine and so will the baby.

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L.T.

answers from Las Vegas on

Girl...PULL IT!!! I was in the same situation when i was pregnant with my daughter!! Toothaches are the WORST!!!
I actually had my tooth pulled a week before i was induced. My daughter, thank God, is healthy. No side effects from the anethesia.

Blessings with your delivery and of course your newborn!

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D.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

If the tooth can't be pulled go to the 99 cent store and buy baby ambasol. It will numb the tooth area. Good Luck, D.

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C.S.

answers from Las Vegas on

I had 4 wisdom teeth pulled (3 wisdom, 1 molar) just as I started my second trimester. I know it sounds crazy, but my insurance was up so I had to make a decision. The pain was enough already... and I knew it could get worse as the pregenancy went on.

Anyways, I wasn't able to eat a couple of hours before... so my blood sugar was real low. The staff took great care of me though. I was put under for about 20 mins (they gave me the shot in my hand). Woke up with 4 less teeth! The only problem I had was that it made my morning sickness start up due to the fact that I couldn't eat before the surgery... . Again this was real early on.. so you shouldn't have a problem.

All & All.... It was the best decision I made for myself. Not to mention my son was a VERY healthy 9lb 8oz when he arrived!! Good luck!

C.

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D.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

I had my two front teeth capped when I was 3 months pregnant and I took one valium to help with the anxiety it was prescribed by my doctor. If the tooth is left untaken care of it could be worse because you'll have to go on antibiotics. Everything turned out fine and I have a healthy baby girl.

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K.N.

answers from Santa Barbara on

Hi I am a dental hygienist and my advise is to get it pulled. Unfortunately your tooth is infected and it's healthier for you and your baby to get the cause of the infection out of your body. You are far enough along that all the sensitive and vital aspects of your developing baby have taken place already and even if they want you to go on antibiotics (as long as it's not Tetracycline) it would be ok to do so. Your dentist will assess the problem and make a comprehensive decision based on all factors but if he/she recommends getting it pulled it's reassuring to know that it would be ok. Also don't be shy about calling your OB/GYN to double check. K. N

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M.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

I had to have a crown at the end of my second pregnancy. All was fine with us.
M.

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J.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

You would probably just receive a local anesthetic (novacaine), meaning a shot. You shouldn't have any complications from this. If they have to put you under for whatever reason, you will have to be worked up as pre-op person. They'll do blood work, an EKG and a chest x-ray. Anyway, good luck. Everyone is having tooth problems right now, and those little things that grow inside of us sure are greedy when it comes to our calcium. Hope you have a happy delivery!! Congratulations!!!!!

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K.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

When I was pregnant, I needed oral surgery I did reading and I read that even local anesthetic goes to the placenta.

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M.S.

answers from San Diego on

Hi A.,

First, I'm sorry you are having pain. Toothaches can be horrible. I would advise you to ask your doctor and the dentist about potential harmful side effects on the baby. They are the experts and should know best! Good luck and hope you get some relief soon.

M.

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S.F.

answers from Los Angeles on

When i was about 6 weeks along last year, i needed to get a root canal! I was horrified..it was my 1st one.. and terrified too. It took us over a year to conceive the baby and i worried it may hurt him. Long story short, my dentist sent me to a specialist who did a fantastic job. Novacaine is safe when you're pregnant..and they put 2 of the lap covers over my abdomen..just in case.. needless to say i had a healthy 10 pound baby boy born on his due date..11/11/07! I would recommend having it pulled now, after the baby arrives you're not going to want to do it..take care

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L.V.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi, I had dental work done while I was pg. The stress of the pain was worse for the baby than the very minimal chance of side effects. They double layered the vest for x-rays and only used certain meds.

Just tell them you're pg and it should be fine. No heavy pain meds, but tylonol worked fine for me. Also, you being so far along is a good thing.

Good luck!

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N.E.

answers from Honolulu on

Hi A.,
Now I dont mean to scare you, but I just want you to make sure you (and ofcourse your precious baby) will be ok. I have heard of several circumstances where the pain was so terrible and the stress so bad, women actually went into preterm labor. I have seen a few stories on tv (Runway Moms, and one more show i cant remember) where they had a tooth pulled and less than a day later they went into labor. Im sure there are many pregnant women who get their teeth pulled, but idk if you would be willing to take a risk like that. I really dont mean to scare you, just make sure you know what your doing. Or even better, get advice from your doctor on what he/she feels about it. Good luck with that and again, not trying to scare you.

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M.P.

answers from Las Vegas on

I had a tooth pulled while I was about 30 weeks pregnant with my second child. Fortunately I trusted the dentist that did the work. I just had the numbing liquid and didn't need sedation for it. Other than relief afterwards, I didn't experience any side effects..good luck!

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E.S.

answers from New York on

having a tooth pulled while 33 weeks pregnant is not a fun task.... alot of dentist are afraid to help pregnant women with their pain after the tooth is pulled. i had a tooth pulled friday and the expieriance was awful, at first i tried to take tylenol but taking to much tylenol can hurt you and your baby, so i tried to see if i could get the dentist perscribe a low dose pain pill that was okay for pregnant women to take, well it took me a whole week for them to do anything about it. the amount of medicine they gave me was so small it only lasted me 1 day and i am still in severe pain. so try to do it when you arent pregnant.

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M.V.

answers from San Diego on

I had a tooth pulled when I was 6 mos pregnant...a molar. All went well, they just used a little less novacaine to numb me. Make sure your dentist is well aware of your concerns. Best of luck!

M.

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D.M.

answers from Lawrence on

Hello A., I had dental work done when I was pregnant and everything turned out just fine. One of my friends also had a root canel done when she was pregnant and she didn't have any problems either. I would get your tooth fixed, you don't want to be in pain. Everything will be fine, just make sure the dentist knows that you are pregnant. Good luck!

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