abcess under wisdom tooth and six months pregnant - advice please

[ilovebeinglazy]

Hi all

This morning I got an emergency appointment with the dentist cos of severe pain and swelling in my jaw.

He told me I have an oozing abscess under my wisdom tooth (which doesn't appear impacted).

I've been given mouthwash and amoxycillin but he seemed doubtful as to whether it would clear my infection. even if it did the infection would likely recur as i have a hole under the tooth.

He said they needed to remove it but not would prefer to wait until the baby is born. Said also that it could be done under local rather than general anaesthetic.

Any way I'm worried cos I've read that infection can cause premature labour and because I'm in a lot of pain but can only take limited amounts of paracetemol. And the last thing i want with a newborn is to have to have an operation to remove a tooth.

Any ideas why they can't take it out now rather than after the baby is born - surely better than recurrent infections?

Any answers appreciated. Feeling tired and in pain and will soon have to pick up my lovely energetic toddler from chilminder.

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

I have no idea which local anaesthetic dentists use but if its Lignocaine (I would guess so) then the BNF states it should be used with caution in pregnancy and only if the expected benefit to the mother is greater then the possible risk to the fetus.

So guess he is just been cautious.

I've never heard of a tooth infection causing premature labour - I think its mainly UTIs and kidney infections that can be a problem.

Hope you're feeling better soon. I get an abscess under my wisdom tooth and it only happens maybe once every 2 or 3 years - I'm too much of a wuss to have it removed. Your dentist is probably hoping that you won't get it again while pregnant if you only have another 3 months to go. Fingers crossed you don't.

[dilbertina]

If you're willing to try anything I have a friend who shifted a tooth abcess with "old wives tale".

Mix together equal parts bicarb of soda and table salt, Dip piece of damp cotton wool in mixture, then put between gum and cheek by offending tooth - leave for as long as poss - ie hours.

Is supposed to draw abcess out...... I've tried it - tastes gopping and didn't get rid of abcess for me BUT did definitely alleviate pain quite a bit....

[ilovebeinglazy]

thanks skss

I didn't realise that local anaesthetic was also considered a bit risky - i guess that explains things.

I've had wisdom tooth infections in the past but not so bad. just panicking as the dentist seemed doubtful the amoxycillin would be strong enough to shift the infection. That siad i'm pretty healthy otherwise my body will fight back as well(and soon I hope)

Thanks for posting a reply

[ilovebeinglazy]

maybe not such a wives tale dilbertina as dr told me to rinse with salty water. not sure i can face bicarb of soda but will try leaving salty padding in mouth as a poultice. right now would try any thing -so peed off that i can't numb with large amounts of alcohol!

[TinkerBellesMum]

I had to have my wisdom's removed, they tried with a local and it made me feel very sick and I kept fainting the rest of the day, they had to stop I was so bad. They did it (eventually with getting pregnant and losing them and changing the appointment each time) did it under sedation which can't be done when pregnant. They should be able to do it with a local while you are pregnant.

Ask your GP for codeine if you are in a lot of pain, it's safe in pregnancy and can be a big help.

[TinkerBellesMum]

Just read the other replies, that's what I was told at the time, I could go ahead with the appointment as long as it was under local.

Something I was recommended to do was to put a dispersible aspirin against the tooth and just leave it there till it's gone. The dose is low enough for pregnancy.

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

Oh yes - forgot about the salt. I once got an abcess when on holiday with 2 dentist friends - they said rub salt on it. So I kept getting salt sachets from restaurants and would sit there gently massaging the salt in. It certainly helped. Though think if I'd been able to get antibiotics that would probably have been even better.

I don't think aspirin is recommended in pregnancy at all - probably best of sticking to the paracetamol.

[TinkerBellesMum]

I take it every day, there is a risk myself or my baby will die otherwise, there is a study that has shown that it is beneficial to mothers to take the lower dose. The amount that you would take to use one dispersible a day on a tooth is not more than is recommended. I quite a bit about Aspirin in pregnancy or I wouldn't have recommended it.

[ComeOVeneer]

NEVER EVER PUT ASPIRIN IN YOUR MOUTH LIKE THAT IT CAUSES A CHEMICAL BURN ON THE GUM WHICH IS SERIOUSLY PAINFUL AND CAN TAKE AGES TO HEAL! (and yes I did mean to shout!)

[TinkerBellesMum]

It's what I was told to do, I didn't do it too often because it's not a nice taste, but I didn't have any problems. I hadn't heard it was a problem, I'll retract what I said.

[ilovebeinglazy]

Just back from putting ds to bed while dh cooks me some mash and heinz tomato soup. i eat well normally so a few days of cr*p shouldn't do any harm.

TinkerBM - i'm sure i have a low pain threshold and am squeamish so would probably pass out too if just had a local.

pain bearable now but looking forward to taking a couple of paracetamol before bed. If not any better tomorrow i will see my gp about codeine -i hadn't realise that was ok to take.

Comeoveneeer sounds like a dentist name so i will avoid chewing aspirin (somebody also recommended i chew paracetamol but it would probably make me sick so i wont try that either!)

[TinkerBellesMum]

It is a dentist name, that's why I retracted

Local doesn't hurt, honest. I reacted to it, I'm autoimmune and I suffer TIA's I didn't know at the time, I think it may have been one then or just my immune system going into overdrive.

I was taking codeine on it's own (as in not co-codamol type) in my last pregnancy because I was in so much pain with my back. A codeine tablet was the only pain relief I had during labour (until the GA that is!) There are a few painkillers they can give in pregnancy, so it may be worth talking to your GP about what you can have.

[Ledodgy]

I got a back molar taken out under local anesthetic when I was 7 months pregnant and it was fine.

[Evenstar]

I also had a back molar taken out during pregnancy (28 weeks) but that was over 16 years ago and nobody thought a local would be an issue then. To be honest if you are in excruciating pain and unable to sleep or eat nutritious food I would have thought that was more detrimental to your pregnancy than a one off dose of local anaesthetic. I was given the choice to try and save the tooth by having a root canal after the baby was born, but decided I could not tolerate the pain or the risk of the abcess recurring before the birth. The hospital prescribed me paracetamol and codeine after consulting an obstetrician, but I would definitely ask your GP.

[TinkerBellesMum]

I forgot to say, the codeine was prescribed when I was in the hospital during my pregnancy because I'd had some rather strong BH and ended up hurting my back more trying to get out of bed. So it wasn't by a GP it was an obstetrician.

[TheDullWitch]

I celebrated my due date when expecting ds1 crying in a dental hospital, impacted wisdom tooth, also decaying one next to it, infection, agony, couldn't sleep, just awful... suffered about 10 weeks of pain on and off.

They kind of "washed" around the infection with some weird stuff and gave me mouthwash and I think antibiotics which helped for a while.

I recommend buying a bottle of oil of cloves, dabbing a bit on cotton wool and putting it near the pain. It really really works. Isn't just alternative medical nonsense. Though I loathe the smell of cloves as a consequence.

No one mentioned anything about infection damaging baby or bringing on labour.

I had the wisdom tooth out and the one next to it a few weeks after giving birth under local. What a relief. Was no big deal, really, though I'd dreaded it.

The dentist who removed it said he could easily have taken it out whilst I was pregnant, which, in retrospect I wish I'd had done.

Good luck. Prolonged toothache really is worse than labour. xx

[suiledonn]

I had a back tooth removed yesterday and I am 24 weeks pregnant. Don't think there was an infection but I was in quite a lot of pain.

[ilovebeinglazy]

Thanks for all your messages. Tooth infection is getting better I think but am so wiped out by antibiotics that I've had to take time off work.

Have hopsital appointment on Monday for another reason so will ask if they think i should get it taken out.