I found out I have to have a root canal and cap done very soon. I am nursing my 3 month old and I am worried about the drugs used at the dentist. He suggested valium for anxiety and a local for the tooth. Has anyone had any experince with this? Is it ok to have these things while nursing? Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks,
M.
I don't have an answer for you, but when these type of questions came up for me, my first call was to my pediatrician. I would recommend that for you.
I just had a root canal last fall. Since your are breast feeding start pumping your milk. You will need to dump at least one day maybe two to make you feel safer. This way you and the baby will be fine. Good luck I did not that it was that bad. The price hurt worse then the procedure.
I would skip the valium- that sounds unneccesary to me. I've had LOTS of root canals done- one while pregnant on a wisdom tooth and one that was so deep it was to the bone and I never took anti-anxiety meds nor did I have them offered to me! Are you an anxious person at the dentist? If not, I would say that you have an over-zealous dentist!
I did have locals while pregnant (both times) and while nursing. I can't remember specifically, but I think the general thinking was that once the pain meds wear off, it is okay to nurse. Can you pump once or twice ahead of time for your 3 month old? Then you can pump and dump when you get home from the dentist to ensure it's absolutely safe. I'm not sure what the protocol is for waiting after taking Valium though- that would be the one I'd be concerned with.
Can your dentist tell you if the local crosses into your milk? Some meds do and some don't. A La Leche Leader might know as well... although I'm sure one of the IBCLC's on the board will probably chime in and give you all the info I can't! :)
You can also try this nursing forum: http://www.mothering.com/discussions/index.php
(Scroll about 1/2 way down for the nursing forum.)
There are also holistic dentists out there... might want to check the yellow pages or google ones in your area.
Also, if you're nursing the 3 yr old, I wouldn't even worry about pumping and dumping since they often fill cavities at this age, but that's a matter of personal preference.
Hope this helps a little bit!!
Amanda
Megan,
Regarding your anxiety, IF the nerve in your tooth is dead, you will not feel any (nerve) pain. I had a root canal with no pain. If you don't already know, ask if your nerve is dying or completely dead. Also, since you are this worried, is there any chance you might benefit from a second opinion regarding the need for this procedure now? Otherwise, consider that everything might go better than you think. Good luck.
Amy
M.:
None of this should be a problem. You are welcome to call me with the medications and I will look them up. There is concern with chronic use of valium but that is not what you will be doing. The local meds will not get into your system.
P., RLC, IBCLC
Pres. Lactation Support Group, Inc
www.lactationsupportgroup.com
Kellymom.com might be able to help you more or ask your ob/gyne. Valium seems a little extreme especially if you are nursing. You might just need to pump and dump for the day.
I have had 2 root canals for some reason everytime I am pregnant I need one and it was all fine I did not take Valium though just tyelenol 3 and that worked fine actually that was while I was pregnant other than that they gave me vicadin while nursing and that is fine. Good luck. Do be careful everybody is different and they say you could dry up but I didn't.
Local anesthetic will be fine, if you want to be super careful, pump and dump once after the procedure, then you'll be fine. I do not regularly recommend valium for a root canal--the procedure itself isn't painful or stressful, and it seems you're more worried about the drugs than the root canal. A root canal can be completed completely pain free with just local anesthetic and some Tylenol afterward. Then the crown can even be done afterward with no drugs at all. If this isn't possible for you, it might be the dentist.
One important thing tho'--do not let this tooth turn into a huge abcess, then you're dealing with infection, swelling, antibiotics and a whole lot of other stuff that will definintely affect your nursing. You are doing the right thing by taking care of it sooner rather than later.
I had an anchor put in for an implant when my son was 6 weeks old and nursing. I pumped extra milk for storage prior to the pocedure and just before. I then pumped and dumped twice afterwards. As a pain killer I used naproxyn and that is okay to use while nursing.
Good luck.
S. from Lisle
Kellymom also has a good database on which drugs and herbs are ok to take while breastfeeding. It is located at:
http://www.kellymom.com/health/index.html
In fact, they have a page specifically about dental procedures at:
http://www.kellymom.com/health/illness/dentalwork.html
I had a root canal done 2 weeks after I had my daughter and I was nursing. You do not need Valium for a root canal. I took a Vicoden and it was sufficient. I would suggest the pump and dump routine with the Valium, I think its a class C drug....but I could be wrong. I had frozen milk when I had to have an MRI with dye that I used when I had to dump for 24 hours.....but I really dont think you need any valium because a root canal is not that painful.....its the infection that you have prior to the root canal and the discomfort after that is painful and after going through childbirth, you should be fine with a narcotic pain med. J.
I agree that a Valium for a dental visit seems a little much unless you have some serious anxiety issues.
This website http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/htmlgen?LACT is run by the federal government. You can look up drugs and the recommendations about them. I am guessing your dentist would use Novacaine. I would think a local would be okay (remember that the epidural many women have in labor is also a "-caine" drug and there's no problem with that). For most drugs very little gets into the milk. Most of the time when a drug is not recommended for nursing it is because it affects the mother and the milk supply, not because it causes a problem with the baby.
Keep in mind that most docs tend to err on the side of saying something is unsafe if they don't know, so you may have to do some investigation. I would call the lactation consultant at the hospital you delivered or an independant lactation consultant to get a good answer. I wouldn't think it would be necessary to skip feedings.
Good luck to you and good job with your success with nursing so far!
vicadin is sufficient - you DO NOT NEED valium. Period. The pain is not that severe and the consequences of valium on a newborn of 3 months is unverified and probably unhealthy and detrimental to him or her. Demand that vicadin be the source of pain killer. Local anescetics can be used on the gums to numb the area while being done. You'll be ok and I can sympathize. It is no fun having the pain beforehand. The actual procedure and recovery is actually not as bad as evereyone thinks its gonna be at all. Good luck and FEEL BETTER. Way to go for breastfeeding and doing whats great for your baby!!!
