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MoeJoe
08-15-2010, 08:49 PM
Yesterday morning I woke up with a toothache... it got worse and worse as the day wore on and as I ate. I tried to not eat sweet foods, then I tried not to eat hard foods... Nothing helped. By this morning it was just a dull ache, but something was obviously wrong.

So, I forced myself to go the dentist- I HATE going there! He's a nice guy and all, but y'know...

And of course he didn't have anything good to tell me. Basically I have a infection in the bone above my tooth as well as some nerve damage in my tooth... Hurray! NOT! :nodno: So, he said that he recommends a root canal, but can't do it while I'm in my 3rd trimester, though i can go to a specialist if I want. He gave me a prescription for the infection and HOPEFULLY it will clear up on its own without having to spend hundreds of $$$ and go thru more pain than necessary.

I'm supposed to give it about a week, see how it is doing then and decide what to do... I'm praying the infection and pain will go away soon!

MoJo
08-15-2010, 08:53 PM
Ugh. . . the other MoJo here with prayers for you!

KathyN115
08-15-2010, 09:08 PM
So sorry - I hate going to the dentist too!

Feel better!!

stinkyfeet
08-15-2010, 09:16 PM
If you have an active infection, you really should have it treated. It is not healthy for the baby for you to have an infection. Dental infections don't go away on their own. The antibiotics will just calm the infection down for a while, but then it will come back with a vengeance within a few weeks or a few months. I recommend that you see the specialist right away.

Advice from a dentist who is playing sahm at the moment :wavey:

DebbieJ
08-15-2010, 09:23 PM
I had a root canal in my 3rd tri. My midwife totally agreed that I needed to have it taken care of rather than live in pain during labor.

KrisM
08-15-2010, 09:30 PM
Oh no! I hope you can get it fixed.

ewpmsw
08-16-2010, 11:47 AM
Oh, man, that sounds horrible. I hope you're feeling better soon, whatever it takes!

MoeJoe
08-16-2010, 04:44 PM
Thanks everyone!

stinkyfeet, if the antibiotics will calm it down for a while, why is it not a good idea to just wait until after the baby is born? If it'll (maybe...) come back a few weeks/months later, then that'll hopefully be after the birth anyway. No? Then I'll feel so much more comfortable getting the root canal done, if needed.

But, I am going to the OB on Wednesday and I'm going to ask her what she thinks about all of this.

GRRRRR, is how I am feeling right now!:irked:

But, I do appreciate e/o good wishes! :)

stinkyfeet
08-16-2010, 10:05 PM
It is hard to say how bad your tooth is without looking at your x-Ray, but if your dentist said that your bone is infected in addition to your tooth, you most likely have some sort of abcess. The problem is that you really don't know when the pain will come back. What if you are dealing with labor pains and and a killer toothache at the same time, or what if you feel so overwhelmed with a newborn that you can't find time or have energy to leave to get this fixed?

The real problem is that the infection is still there even though you are taking antibiotics. Infected teeth don't respond to antibiotics like the rest of your bodily infections. It has been proven that untreated gum disease can affect the health of your unborn baby. Don't you think that an untreated dental infection could possibly do the same?

Having a root canal done is not a big deal. Personally, I would rather have the root canal done asap than take pain meds and antibiotics during pregnancy.

Root canals involve local anesthesia (not anymore than is really needed for a filling--unless you wait until the last minute and your tooth pain is unbearable). The dentist will take a drill and remove any decay, and then he will drill a little deeper into the nerve chamber (you will not feel a thing). The
infected nerve will be removed with drills/files. The nerve canals will be filled with a rubber material and the tooth will be filled. You will most likely need a
crown after the root canal. This can wait until after delivery. You do not want
to wait too long b/c your tooth needs the extra reinforcement Of a crown since
the loss of your nerve and blood supply to the tooth can make your tooth
more brittle and susceptible to breakage.
:hug5:

MoeJoe
08-16-2010, 10:20 PM
stinkyfeet- thanks for the info, but one more question: do you know how long a root canal takes, normally? and how long it would take for a specialist to do the procedure? Bec. I thought that while in the third trim. you shouldn't be on your back for more than 20 min. at a time...

DebbieJ
08-16-2010, 10:26 PM
stinkyfeet- thanks for the info, but one more question: do you know how long a root canal takes, normally? and how long it would take for a specialist to do the procedure? Bec. I thought that while in the third trim. you shouldn't be on your back for more than 20 min. at a time...

I had one done during my 3rd tri last year and we just took more breaks for me to sit up every 20-30 mins or so.

Depending on the extent of the damage the root canal can take 1-2 hours and you might need a 2nd visit. My dentist drilled out the decay, then put an antibiotic "ointment" in there and gave me a temporary crown for a week to make sure it all cleared up. Then I came back and he filled the canal and I got the crown.

You should DEFINITELY get this taken care of. It can only get worse.

stinkyfeet
08-16-2010, 10:34 PM
Good point. Specialists should get it done pretty fast. It depends on the tooth though because different teeth have a different number of root canals within them (molars have the most). My guess is that it will take 1-2 hours depending on the tooth, but specialists are really fast b/c try do those all day long.

I've had facials during my first pregnancy (obviously, completely optional) and shifted both legs to the side and also out my belly on it's side too while my head was straight (so body is slightly twisted--you can try in bed).

Another option is that, if you are too uncomfortable, the specialist can do part of the root canal (remove the infected nerves and irrigate to clean) and then you can return after delivery to have the canals filled with the rubber material. Note, you do need to return b/c the rubber material helps prevent the tooth from getting reinfected.
:waving4:

MoeJoe
08-17-2010, 11:41 AM
Thanks Debbie and Stinkyfeet. I actually didn't realize it would take that long at all! But, I'm going to discuss it with my dentist and OB and see what they both have to say.

MoeJoe
08-19-2010, 09:58 AM
Well, my OB agreed with you ladies and said to have it done asap... I've been calling a couple of endodontists and it is sooo expensive! One said $1,050 and the other even more @ $1,450! And this is w/o the crown...

Gotta pull it together and take the plunge...