Pregnancy and Dental Work

Since you have a cavity and now and it will just get worse and you are not pregnant yet, it makes sense to have the dental work done now.

Get it done now. Dental health can actually affect the health of your baby/pregnancy. Local anesthetics really don't go beyond the area they affect, and are actually milder than the drugs used during labor.

If you do need x-rays, make sure they give you a really thick lead apron, especially around your abdomen. Let them know your trying to conceive, and they should be able to take the right precautions.

I used to work for 2 dentists before I had kids. My recommendations are to get the dental work done now before you conceive. We would only do dental procedures on women who were in their 2nd trimester. The novicaine won't harm the baby, but do not get the nitrous (laughing gas). When you call to make your appointment tell them that you're pregnant & how far along you are. If they do have to do x-rays (which I don't think they would unless they don't have any current x-rays, or while they're drilling out the cavity, it is a lot deeper than they originally thought), they'll use 2 lead aprons just to be cautious. I had a couple of cavities filled while I was pregnant & there were no problems. When you're pregnant, your mouth, teeth, & gums go through changes too. Make sure that you floss daily, especially when you're pregnant. Consume extra calcium too. The growing fetus needs calcium to grow properly, so if you're not getting enough calcium, then the fetus will take your body's calcium. Many women experience increased cavities & bone loss after being pregnant. Good luck on getting pregnant & getting your cavity filled!

-Shellie

I would get it done now and then start. I believe that novacaine and x rays post problems while pregnant.

There is a special novacaine they use when you are pregnant and they will put two aprons over you also.

I have seen this question twice in the past week. You might try the search option at the top to see what answers the other ladies got. In Oklahoma they have a program through Sooner Care that gives free dental work to low income pregnant women. Dental work can't be harming fetus' if the state is paying for free dental work. They would use that as an excuse to get out of doing it. Call your dentist and have the work done this week.

I've been a dental hygienist for 15 years and no you don't need to wait. Just don't have x-rays taken if you think you may be pregnant. Local anesthetics are safe. Dental work is safe. It's just x-rays you should be leary of in the first trimester. If they absolutely need one they can double drape you with 2 lead aprons. These days with digital xrays the radiation is up to 90% less than with traditional xrays (which weren't even that much radiation...4 bitewing films gave comparable radiation to 15 minutes in the sun/atmosphere). Sorry about the cavity! That is a bummer! Sounds like you have great teeth though. And good luck conceiving.

You'll be fine. Just make sure you take precautions if they need to do x-rays once you are pregnant. The novacaine won't bother you - and they can do it w/o the novacaine.... : ) You can always ask the dentist what they recommend.

Get it done right now or you going to haVe to wait until your second trimester to do anything at the dentist....

A local numbing agent is used it should not effect the baby.
I had to have 3 root canals while I was pregnant with my last.
Ask your OB/GYN to get clearance for it.

I would get it done now as well, but I wouldn't not try b/c of it. I don't think you should be concerned about novacaine while pregnant, especially if you are literally just pregnant, you and the baby will be fine! As someone else mentioned your teeth and gums can get worse during pregnancy so you want to take care of it.