Is it possible to treat teeth during pregnancy? The dangers of anesthesia during pregnancy

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Almost every woman faces the need for dental treatment during pregnancy. This is mainly due to the fact that the female body actively supplies the child with all the necessary useful trace elements for its development. While the expectant mother herself may suffer from a lack of vitamins. For this reason, the integrity of tooth enamel is violated due to the loss of calcium. In this case, microbes and bacteria are given complete freedom.

Each of us, sooner or later, faced with a toothache and knows perfectly well what a difficult test it is. Moreover, not only on the physical level - how many nerves will go away before someone decides to go to the dentist. And this doctor is feared by many. However, there is no need to torture yourself, especially for pregnant women, and in order to avoid the appearance of caries and the actual toothache, it is necessarysee an appropriate specialist.

Teeth during pregnancy

Any pregnant woman undergoes a global hormonal restructuring of the body. Due to the increasing progesterone, the blood supply to all tissues, including the gums, increases, which leads to their loosening. As a result, the risks of gingivitis, stomatitis, and exacerbation of caries increase. If you do not take care of your oral cavity, or when it comes to bad heredity, the teeth fall out. Enamel becomes more sensitive to hot, cold, acidic foods.

In addition, hormones affect the amount of saliva produced and its pH. It becomes more and more, and the balance shifts towards acidity. If no measures are taken, the bone structure is covered with hard plaque, tartar is formed.

During the development of the child and as he grows, the demand for calcium increases, which goes to building his skeleton. And if calcium reserves are not enough, this element is taken from the mother. Moreover, the source, most often, is precisely the teeth. Therefore, enamel is destroyed in many women.

Thus, the question of whether it is possible to treat teeth during pregnancy and how, disappears by itself. Of course, a specialist must be visited at least once every trimester or if there are complaints. The decision on dental treatment during pregnancy is made only by the dentist and in each case individually. It all depends on the problem that the expectant mother turned to and her condition. manipulationcarried out immediately or treatment is delayed for a certain period of time.

Toothache shouldn't be ignored

There is a folk tale or myth that pregnant women need to endure toothache until they give birth. Any person will question this, who can endure such hellish torment ?! Do not trust some beliefs - dental treatment is not only allowed, but also recommended by many experts.

Under normal circumstances, a toothache exposes any person to real torture, and what can we say about pregnant women. For them, this is a big stress, which should be avoided in every possible way! For expectant mothers, pregnancy itself is already a difficult test. And, as many reviews note, dental treatment during pregnancy is a must.

As it is now clear, due to a change in the hormonal background of the female body, the microflora of the oral cavity is no longer the same: saliva no longer has protective properties, and therefore an attack from bacteria is inevitable. As for immunity, it is weakened and for this reason the appearance of various diseases in the oral cavity is a matter of time and attitude.

What is stomatitis, gingivitis and other diseases of this kind? These are the real foci of infection, which is freely able to penetrate into the tissues of the body and reach the fetus through the circulatory system. It is hardly necessary to explain what all this can threaten.

If you do not pay attention to this situation in a timely manner, then the woman will have to undergo a serious course of treatment. A lack of calcium in a child's body leads to the formation of a weak skeleton and teeth.

State care

Many mothers are interested in one question, is it possible to have dental treatment during pregnancy for free? While the child is developing, he needs vitamins and a large number of other useful trace elements. Actually, for this, a large part of the family budget is spent, which in many families is seriously limited.

And what to do if the expectant mother suddenly has a toothache? You certainly should not panic, because in almost every city there are state dental clinics where treatment for pregnant women is free of charge. Payment for such services is made from the state treasury.

What about anesthesia?

There is another important point - what about anesthesia, can it be used? Many expectant mothers are frightened by the very procedure of dental treatment, which causes fear. Because of this, stress sets in, and the child always feels everything that his mother is exposed to. And this is bad for his he alth. A specialist with extensive experience will select the optimal anesthesia for a woman during dental treatment during pregnancy.

The same specialist knows perfectly well that general anesthesia is prohibited for pregnant women, since this promises nothing but serious consequences:

• Death due to severe allergic reaction to general anesthesia.
• Miscarriage.
• Fetal rejection.

In this connection, doctors recommenduse local anesthesia. It will allow not only the mother to avoid unnecessary pain and, as a result, stress, but will be completely safe for the child. Many dental clinics use modern preparations. Their main advantage is that they localize pain in a certain area without affecting other organs. The anesthetic substance, although it enters the bloodstream, does not penetrate the placenta.

Permitted anesthesia

In the treatment of pregnant women, anesthesia is used if necessary. It was mentioned above that the use of general anesthesia is highly undesirable due to dangerous consequences. For this reason, experts use other methods. One of these is local anesthesia.

Dentist will apply anesthesia during the treatment of teeth during pregnancy, as a result of which part of the oral cavity is anesthetized. This method is considered the most effective and safest remedy for the treatment or extraction of teeth.

Another option is sedation. In this case, the patient is introduced into a state of sleep, which helps to reduce anxiety. Only women in position should stop using nitric oxide, Diazepam and other similar drugs. The best option is listening to music, acupuncture.

Admission to treatment

Not all oral diseases can be treated during pregnancy. Below is a list that includes those diseases for which there is no such prohibition:

• Caries.
• Periodontitis.
• Pulpitis.
• Periodontitis.
• Gingivitis.
• Stomatitis.

Caries refers to infectious diseases, the development of which damages hard dental tissues - enamel and dentin. To carry out dental treatment during pregnancy, and fillings in this case are not prohibited. This will avoid more serious inflammation, not only in the mother, but also in the child.

During the course of periodontitis, gum pockets are formed, which is a favorable environment for most harmful microorganisms to live. Thus, this disease is a potential and dangerous source of infection that jeopardizes pregnancy. Therefore, periodontitis must be treated as soon as possible, and regardless of the period.

Pulpitis is characterized by inflammation of the dental nerve or pulp. In this case, the woman feels acute pain. In this case, anesthesia must be used to treat this disease.

Periodontitis is also an inflammatory process that occurs in an acute form and is localized in the tissues that hold the teeth. If no action is taken, it subsequently leads to intoxication of the body.

Gingivitis is accompanied by inflammation of the mucous membranes of the gums and also needs timely dental treatment during pregnancy.

When stomatitis affects the mucous membranes of the oral cavity. Many people do not take this dental disease seriously, considering it harmless. However, medicine cannot confirm this, so it is better to carry out treatment in a timely manner. Otherwise, there may be serious problems withhe alth.

What not to do

Now it is worth touching on those procedures that in no case should be performed in dental clinics during pregnancy. In particular, we are talking about the following:

• Correct an overbite with hardware.
• Remove tartar.
• Whiten your teeth.
• Remove or treat a wisdom tooth.
• You can not do implantation - it is carried out before pregnancy, which should be taken care of in advance, or after childbirth.

Such procedures must be postponed until the birth of the child, otherwise a variety of consequences are possible. And not for the better.

Is it safe to get dental treatment during pregnancy?

Of course, however, not every woman, being in an “interesting position”, pays close attention to the oral cavity. But in vain! According to many dentists, it is in the interests of every mother, especially young girls, to take care of their he alth, because now they are responsible not only for themselves, but also for their child.

He althy teeth are a sure sign that everything is in order with the female body. In this case, the development of the fetus will proceed without complications and deviations. To do this, you need to follow simple rules of oral hygiene and then serious problems can be avoided.

I trimester

One thing is important here - until the fertilized egg is fixed on the uterus, it is extremely undesirable to treat teeth. Going to the dentist causes excitement in most women and, as a result,stress. In addition, anesthetics are used during the treatment procedure. All this provokes negative consequences for the fetus, including the threat of miscarriage.

During the 1st trimester, dental treatment during pregnancy is undesirable. In particular, this applies to 8-12 weeks. Moreover, this applies to any dental intervention, which also applies to fillings. It is better to postpone the procedure to a later date. However, cases of acute pain, pulpitis and periodontitis are exceptions to the rule, as they cannot be ignored.

As a good freezing agent, it is allowed to use "Ultracain", which is completely safe for the child. But pregnant women should not use Lidocaine, although it is very popular in dentistry. It increases blood pressure and heart rate.

II trimester

At this period of pregnancy, the necessary dental procedures are not contraindicated. If the specialist does not identify serious risks, then treatment may be delayed until the baby is born. If caries is present and the focus is small, then you can do without an injection in the treatment of teeth during pregnancy. “Armed” with a drill, the dentist will carefully remove the affected tissues and close the hole with a filling. Nerve endings will not be affected.

However, if a pregnant woman is concerned about severe toothache accompanied by bleeding gums, treatment should be carried out without delay. Only a doctor can deal withproblem, thereby avoiding the occurrence of various complications. In the emergency treatment of the inflammatory process and acute pain, another modern anesthetic, Ortikon, is successfully used. The action of the drug is point, therefore, it will not penetrate the placenta.

III trimester

During this period of pregnancy, the growth of the fetus is most intense, which affects the mother: fatigue increases. When the mother is most of the time in a supine position or takes a semi-sitting position, the fetus increases its pressure on the vena cava and aorta. As a result, the heartbeat increases, a migraine appears, in some cases, the mother may lose consciousness.

As for the reproductive organ, the sensitivity of the uterus increases, and exposure to almost any serious irritant can provoke preterm labor. In this connection, dental treatment during pregnancy of the 3rd trimester is carried out only in emergency cases. It is recommended, if possible, to carry out manipulations before the 36th week comes. These include:

• Irreversible processes when it comes to the immediate removal of dead tissue.
• Current of purulent inflammation.
• Sharp pain.

As for pain, it is not recommended for pregnant women to endure it, as this leads to the creation of a stressful situation, which in turn has a bad effect on the hormonal background. Actually, this provokes a miscarriage.

Tooth extraction

Dentists rarely resort to tooth extraction in pregnant womenwomen. A similar procedure involves extracting a diseased tooth along with the root from the hole. Such an operation should be carried out only in an emergency in case of acute pain or severe inflammation.

Otherwise, if necessary, to carry out treatment and extraction of teeth during pregnancy, it is recommended to do this for a period of 13 to 32 weeks. In this case, the fetus is formed, the woman's immunity is already normal, and her psychological state is more stable.

But, as for the wisdom tooth, its removal is contraindicated for expectant mothers. Otherwise, serious complications cannot be avoided:

• malaise;
• temperature increase;
• pressure increase;
• appearance of pain in the ears, lymph nodes;
• It's getting hard to swallow.

All these symptoms have a bad effect on the he alth of the child. For this reason, even at the stage of planning a baby, it is necessary to visit a dentist and, if there are problems with the wisdom tooth, solve them before conception.

Features of dental treatment during pregnancy or existing myths

There are some myths, or so-called folk beliefs, regarding whether or not to treat the teeth of pregnant women. Consider the most popular cases:

1. Due to dental treatment, the fetus develops poorly.
2. Expectant mothers are not contraindicated in any dental procedures.
3. Pregnant women should not be treated with anesthesia.
4. Never X-ray!

The first myth is no longer relevant in our time. Pain in the teeth indicates the occurrence of undesirable processes in the oral cavity. This is not only the delivery of discomfort and pain, mainly an infectious focus is formed, which does not lead to anything good! In addition, many clinics use modern equipment and anesthesia, which allows you to save both mother and child.

The second myth is also fundamentally wrong. Some dental procedures jeopardize the development of the baby. For example, when bleaching, special chemical cleaning agents are used. When implanting, there is a risk of rejection of the implant by the fetus. Dental treatment during pregnancy is also contraindicated when products containing arsenic and adrenaline are used.

The third myth is true, but in relation to anesthesia of the past generation. At that time, the composition of the funds was "Novocain", which is incompatible with the placenta and, once in the mother's blood, the substance reached the fetus and adversely affected its development. Modern anesthesia is an articaine group of anesthetics, completely harmless to pregnant women and their unborn children.

As for the fourth myth, now everything is a little different. In modern dental clinics, specialists no longer use film equipment - they have been replaced by radiovisiographs, which do not have film. Their power is below the acceptable safety threshold. Moreover, the radiation is directed specifically to the root of the tooth, and the procedure itself is not complete without a lead apron, which protects the child in the womb from unwantedrays.

As you can see, most of these myths are not worth our attention, medicine has advanced and now expectant mothers do not need to worry about whether to treat their teeth or not. In particular, you should not listen to "knowledgeable specialists" who will only harm with their advice. And, as it is now clear, a good period for dental treatment during pregnancy is the 2nd trimester. The child is not in danger.