teeth extraction(s)

[calv]

I'm suppose to have some teeth extracted and I'm a wreck about it. I'm nursing and thankfully my little one is 14 months old. the thought of weaning really isn't an option (if I can control it). I'm curious to hear what and how your experience was w/the pulling of wisdom teeth. I'll have the following drugs

*Versed
*Fentonyl
*Propofol
*Decedron

THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm a total mess about this whole thing. BE honest, I want to hear the good and bad stories!

[o_mom]

I had wisdom teeth out when I was in HS. It wasn't fun, but looking back I would put it at worse than a root canal, but not as bad as laproscopy. Childbirth tends to put things in perspective, LOL. Put ice on as much as possible after and ask specifically what you can do to prevent "dry sockets" - had those and they sucked. Here are some links on medications while BF:

http://www.kellymom.com/health/illness/dentalwork.html
http://www.kellymom.com/health/illness/mom-surgery.html

Most of those will probably be fine by the time you are home.

[bubbaray]

I had my wisdom teeth out during HS as well. However, mine were done under general. I don't recall taking anything other than tylenol afterwards, but I could be wrong on that. I followed the post-surgical instructions and had good luck fending off the dreaded dry socket. I had virtually no swelling or bruising.

DH, OTOH, has had 2 wisdom teeth out as an adult and had such a "horrible" experience that he refuses to go have the other 2 done (even though they do need to be out). I think for him, the worst part was the procedure, they had him too awake, IYKWIM.

As for the drugs, I would ask your oral surgeon to confirm that those drugs are OK to use while BF, confirm with your OB and even your pedi.

Honestly, DH is the only person I know who had a bad wisdom tooth experience. I'd like to think he was just the statistic and that most people do just fine.

Good luck!

Melissa

DD#1: 04/2004

DD#2: c/s 01/2007

[punkrockmama]

I had my wisdom teeth out when I was 19. I can't take pain, I just can't. I have no idea how I birthed two babies. I am also super good at psyching myself out. I get scared five months before something happens. I *dread* things.

It really wasn't that bad.

I cried the whole way there. Cried when the doc put in my IV. Cried when I woke up (I couldn't feel a thing but I was so freaked out I just cried and then apologized for crying). Went home took all the drugs they told me (vicodin? maybe, can't remember, could have been tylenol 3). It was tougher on me emotionally than physically. Honest! Take your medicine and do what they tell you and it will be okay. :)

Here's a good link on what drugs are okay and not when nursing. You can't ask questions (only healthcare pros can) but you can search to
your hearts content:

http://tinyurl.com/y8y6os

Hugs and good luck!

[randomkid]

Had mine out when I was 20 - two days before Thanksgiving, thank you very much! It really wasn't that bad for me and I healed quickly. I had had bronchitis just prior to my surgery and I was trying to boost my immune system by taking vitamin B and C. When I went back to the oral surgeon for my follow up, he said he never saw anyone heal so quickly. I told him about the vitamins and he said it made sense because they aid in cell growth, wound healing and collagen production. I found the following info for you:

Vitamin B

Health benefits
The B vitamins often work together to deliver a number of health benefits to the body. B vitamins have been shown to:

Bolster metabolism
Maintain healthy skin and muscle tone
Enhance immune and nervous system function
Promote cell growth and division — including that of the red blood cells that help prevent anemia.

Vitamin C is required for the growth and repair of tissues in all parts of your body. It is necessary to form collagen, an important protein used to make skin, scar tissue, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. Vitamin C is essential for the healing of wounds, and for the repair and maintenance of cartilage, bones, and teeth.

I wouldn't take excessive doses, esp. since you are nursing, but find out what would be safe while you are nursing and start now. I swear by it and for me it was just by chance. Even though I had basically mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving, I healed quickly and had no problems. I also took those vitamins before my sinus surgery and did really well after that surgery as well. Can't hurt to try, right? And, if it works, you should need less pain meds during your recovery.

HTH in some way.

[calv]

this is wonderful thanks. I think I'll head out to wholefoods today since I want to get a few stocking stuffers there anyway. So you recommend just plain vitamin C and plain vitamin B?

[calv]

I'm the exact same way. The surgeon could tell her nervous I was so I didn't even need to tell him that I do not want to know that I'm there or what's being done to me. I'm super anxious about the whole thing and I have to go back and get more done. EEEKKKK!! The anxiety is awful. I'm not a nervous person by any means but when it comes to a dentist, FORGET ABOUT IT!!!! :) I'll have to come back and post about it. Hopefully it will all go smoothly.

[calv]

yeah i've heard the nightmare stories about the sockets. OUCHIE!!!!! =( Thanks for the links. :)

[calv]

Thank you. :) That's terrible about your DH, I don't blame him especially after being tramatized.

I have a call into our PEDI's office.

BTW, contrats on your soon arrival.

[Wife_and_mommy]

I had all four wis. teeth extracted at 21/22.It wasn't terrible but that's the most extensive surgery I've ever had so take it fwiw.

All in all it was that bad but I definitely made sure they'd do all of them at once. No way they'd get me in the chair twice once I knew what to expect.

Quick healing to you. :)


http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif[/img][/url]

I love them most when they are sleeping.--Me
http://b3.lilypie.com/UnbPm4.png
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[missym]

I'm sorry you have to have your teeth extracted. From a quick search of Hale's forum, it sounds like you should be fine to breastfeed by the time you get home. If you're worried about the meds, you could pump and dump for one session - but if it were me, I wouldn't bother.

Here are the references I found.
"IV Versed(midazolam) is not a problem, it's so rapidly dissipated that moms can probably breastfeed soon after surgery...certainly by 2 hours."

"I'm sure you mean "fentanyl" which is an opioid analgesic somewhat stronger than morphine. Very very little transfers into human milk. Check my book, page 276."
http://66.230.33.248/discus/messages/39/39.html

Decadron: "I would not be at all concerned about its one-time use in a breastfeeding mother.
I would advise her to pump and discard the milk once after the procedure. I don't have any good data that this is helpful, however, it might get rid of any small residues from the procedure still present." (This was in reference to a 2-month-old baby.)
http://66.230.33.248/discus/messages/58/636.html

I found only a passing reference to Propofol on Hale's forum, but it is covered in his book "Medications and Mother's Milk." I'm sure if you called a lactation consultant at your local hospital, she could look it up for you.

I don't know what painkillers they will send home with you, but Vicodin is pretty common. It's safe for BF; I take it relatively regularly and see no effect on the kiddo.

HTH!


Missy, mom to Gwen 03/03 and Rebecca 09/05

** Want to discuss issues with other Conservative parents? Join us at
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[randomkid]

It was so long ago that I don't really remember, but plain Vitamin C and maybe a B complex would be good. You can ask what they recommend at Whole Foods or maybe someone here has more to offer.

[randomkid]

It was so long ago that I don't really remember, but plain Vitamin C and maybe a B complex would be good. You can ask what they recommend at Whole Foods or maybe someone here has more to offer.

[bubbaray]

I was told to discontinue Vit. E supplements at least 2w before surgery. Maybe ask your surgeon about that?

I also had a naturopath tell me that Vit. A helps healing post-surgery. Again, you should ask your surgeon.

Good luck!


Melissa

DD#1: 04/2004

DD#2: c/s 01/2007

[calv]

I'm going tomorrow first thing in the AM and I'm sick at the thought of being put out. OMG I really hope the mental aspect is far worse than the actual procedure/post pain. THANKS again. I just hope this doesn't ruin my BFing relationship. That will be the real killer.

[Iluvbabies57]

I'm probably coming in a little late here, but I had all four of my wisdom teeth pulled last Thursday. It wasn't bad, I swear!
When I got home, all I had to take was extra strength tylenol... the pain meds made me sorta loopy lol, and didn't help any more than the tylenol did.
I suggest stocking up on jello, icecream, yogurt, etc. They will be the easiest things to eat for about the first 24 hours-36 hours.
For the first 24 hours, ice works wonders for the swelling, then put heat for anytime after that. Oh and sleep semi-upright. They told me to do that, and it really did help!
Good luck! You'll be fine!

[mainepotato]

I just had my 4 wisdom teeth extracted last month, and I have a 14-month-old too! I was terribly anxious beforehand as well.

My Oral Surgeon recommended that I not to nurse for 24 hours, to make sure that sedatives were out of my system. He said that if I did, the worst that would probably happen would be that the baby would get a little sleepy, but he wasn't comfortable with the risk anyhow and neither was I. He said that after 24 hours, the pain killers (vicodin & ibuprofen) and antibiotics weren't going to be a concern with regard to breastfeeding.

Those 24 hours were rough. DH was able to keep DD distracted and happy in the day (with a few hiccups because whenever she saw me, she wanted to nurse), but at bedtime she REALLY wanted to nurse and she was used to co-sleeping. He fed her milk from a sippy and rocked her to sleep, but she awoke a lot during the night. She also slept in her crib for the first time because I was groggy and sleepy and I didn't feel that she was safe co-sleeping. The next day she didn't really seem interested in nursing and I was beside myself, thinking that that was the end, but by the evening she was nursing normally again, and she still is today. It was the end of co-sleeping for us, though, because I was on the vicodin for weeks and I felt that I slept more deeply with the drugs. It just didn't seem safe. When I was off the drugs we tried to bring her back to our bed, and she just didn't sleep as well with us anymore.

--
The details and things no one ever told me: (eta that two of my teeth were impacted, so I knew going into it that I might have a difficult recovery.)

-waking up-
They put me to sleep with the IV sedation and when I woke up, I didn't really have pain, but I was groggy, my mouth and tongue felt SO DRY and there was gauze stuffed in there so I couldn't talk. I had to keep the gauze in for an hour or two until the bleeding stopped. After that I felt pretty good. DH wanted me to lie down and take a nap, but I wasn't tired. I felt like being up and about, but I was too self-conscious about the swelling and my slurred speech to leave the house.

-eating-
I had stocked up on lots of soups and mushy foods to eat, but I found that all of the soup vegetables and noodles and especially chicken got stuck in and irritated the sockets. Also no one had told me that I wouldn't be able to open my mouth very wide.. for WEEKS. I stuck with liquids only for three days, and then I finally discovered that I could eat bread soaked in broth. After a week I could manage some more normal foods... but teeny tiny bites were all that fit.

-swelling-
The swelling reached its peak around 24-48 hours and then gradually went down over the next few days, but it wasn't completely gone for a few weeks (!! A friend JUST told me that I'm looking normal again, lol). I also had big yellow bruises.

-dry sockets-
Around day three or four, I was still on vicodin and ibuprofen every 4-6 hours and the pain became more intense. I had two dry sockets. I had been SO careful, but it's common with impacted teeth and difficult extractions. The drugs sometimes helped a lot and sometimes not so much. Off the drugs, the pain was excruciating. Hot rice packs gave some relief. Due to Thanksgiving (and because my oral surgeon commutes 70 miles to my small town only once a week), I couldn't have the sockets packed for a week, so my doctor increased the vicodin, which did help more, but Oh My Stars, if I was ever late in taking a pill, the pain was incredible.

When I finally had the sockets packed, the relief was instant and complete. But the taste of the clove oil was nauseating, lol. Nausea was better than pain though. No one told me that the effect of the clove oil would wear off after a day or so. I was able to have them packed every other day and had to take the vicodin in between to make it between packings. It took two weeks of packing for the pain to be more manageable, and then it was a week after that before I was really pain-free.

-now-
It took about a month from surgery (about a week ago) before I had no pain. I still have holes and it's annoying when food gets stuck in them, but it doesn't hurt.

IF I hadn't had impacted teeth and if I hadn't developed dry socket, I think that my recovery would have been a piece of cake. The top two teeth, which had come in normally and healed up normally, hardly bothered me at all. Hopefully that will be the case for you!

GOOD LUCK!

[o_mom]

>
>My Oral Surgeon recommended that I not to nurse for 24 hours,
>to make sure that sedatives were out of my system. He said
>that if I did, the worst that would probably happen would be
>that the baby would get a little sleepy, but he wasn't
>comfortable with the risk anyhow and neither was I. He said
>that after 24 hours, the pain killers (vicodin & ibuprofen)
>and antibiotics weren't going to be a concern with regard to
>breastfeeding.
>

I'm sorry, but I just can't let this go by. Your Oral Surgeon was woefully misinformed. Unless you had something way out of the ordinary, there was no need to wait 24 hours. Most sedatives used for these type of procedures are undetectable in breastmilk within 4 hours. Usually by the time the mother is alert enough to breastfeed, there is very, very little if any traces left.

The links above can get you to the studies which have shown this and the recommendations of the AAP and Dr. Thomas Hale who is considered to be the top expert on medications and breastfeeding. There was a discussion of this in the feeding forum a few months ago regarding sedation for colonoscopy which uses simlar sedatives.

Most doctors out there have no idea what medications do to breastmilk. There only source is usually the PDR which contains the label information which is put out by the manufacturer. Not surprisingly, most times it says something like "this has not been studied in nursing mothers, so don't use it".

[calv]

I'm back. THANK YOU to all who replied. I'm out of it but not really sleepy. When does the bleeding stop? The gauze is driving me nuts but i guess it's needed. GOD I Hope i dont get a dry socket. OUCH!!!!! My right side (getting only 1 side down at a time) is stil numb. Half my toungue is still feeling funny/numb. I just want the bleeding to stop. TMI, it's not gushing but enough to gross me out. Yuck i hate blood.

I have already nursed the baby. Thankfully she is 14 months old so not full dependant on me for food. gawd this is so weird. THANK again and sorry for the typos. i'm not wearing my glasses, lol

[o_mom]

I can't remember how long the bleeding lasted, but I do remember that I threw up a bunch of blood that I swallowed (more TMI!). Avoid swallowing the blood if you can. :-) If you can keep pressure on them by biting on the gauze for 10-15 min straight that might help. Putting something in between the teeth (cotton roll or wadded gauze) can make it easier to bite - MIL had to do that when all her teeth were pulled.

[stefani]

Wishing you a speedy recovery, and no dry socket!

Sorry, I don't remember how long the bleeding lasts. I had a dental implant for the last tooth extraction, and that really reduced the bleeding & pain.

Take care,

[Iluvbabies57]

I had to have gauze in my mouth for about 3 hours straight afterwards. I changed them about every 20-30 min. and each time there was less bleeding. Then my gums would bleed off and on (just a little tiny bit... not much) for about the next 24 hours.

[elizabethkott]

Hope you're doing okay - I'm late jumping in here!
ITA with the soup with no veggies thing - there's more chunky stuff in there than you think!
As far as icing goes - try 2 packs of frozen peas (of all things!) because they literally mold to your face! 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off for the first two days while you're awake - if you can. It really helps reduce the swelling and the recovery time.
I won't worry you with my horror story that had less to do with the actual surgery and more to do with an allergic reaction to the antibiotics they put me on... let's just say it wasn't good!
Wishing you a speedy recovery!

[calv]

thanks! I'M super sore but i guess it's expected since my teeth were so impacted. Ice and salt water gargle have been my best friends!!!

[punkrockmama]

Hey girl! Glad you made it (knew you would :) )

Here's to a fast and easy recovery!