Broken tooth :(

[Dizzydaisylou]

I'm 8 + 4 and a bit of my back tooth has just broken off whilst I was eating dinner. It's not sore (yet) but it's really rough and hurting my tongue :( dentist shut til Monday!any ideas how to manage meantime and can the dentist give u local anaesthetic at this stage in pregnancy?

Thanks!

If it's just a little bit then the dentist will just file down the rough bit. No anaesthetic required for that. Not sure what they do if it's big enough to leave the root exposed. Maybe just pack it out.

remember you should get free dental care when pregnant but they might ask for your exemption card which you get via midwife around 12 weeks. Might be worthwhile looking up how you obtain free health care at this stage in your pregnancy.

Hope the tooth doesn't bother you too much and congratulations on your pregnancy!

I broke my tooth early in pregnancy too. The dentist was able to do a temporary filling, and waited until I was past 12 weeks to do some proper work (with the local anaesthetic). It was all fine - the temporary filling was even able to withstand toffee penny munching over Christmas... In the meantime, I guess just be careful with it, there's not much else you can do.

Word of warning re the maternity exemption card - some don't give you it automatically. I'm 26 weeks and have only just sent off my application, I had assumed my MW would give me it but I found out by accident that I need to get the application from my GP. MW has nothing to do with it in my clinic.

I saw the dentist for a check up when I was 8 weeks. I told them because they make you fill out a form every time you go and it's one of the questions. But I wasn't charged for the check up and they didn't ask for my card (which I didn't have at the time anyway). So they might not ask you for it!

Local anaesthetic is safe in pregnancy, don't worry. Go and get your tooth fixed as soon as possible, better than waiting until it gets infected. The only thing we don't do in pregnancy is replace amalgams.

I got my maternity exemption at 4 weeks - filled in the form at GP when I went for my 1st appointment.

If it bothers you over the weekend boots do a temporary filling kit called dentanurse.

Thanks everyone! I know pregnancy can't do bad thing to your teeth but didn't expect them to start crumbling so soon!

I was appalled that my GP told me they didn't give out the forms for the exemption card until women were 28 weeks. In the meantime I needed several prescriptions filled and a crown at the dentist. I didn't question the GP, but at my 25 weeks check with the midwife (at the GP surgery) she asked whether I had one and was very surprised when I told her what I'd been told. She grabbed a form, stamped it with the GP's stamp and filled it out for me.

Oh, but the crown I got at the dentist ended up being free. I just told them I was pregnant and they didn't even ask to see the card!

But if your problem is minor I don't think you'll need much work done.

I'm 28 weeks this has just happened to me on Wednesday, I saw the dentist friday and it drove me mad in between. no pain just rough on my tongue and very annoying. my dentist filled it down and built it up with a liquid filler I didnt have to have any injections or pain relief. I hope you get yours sorted, ive never had a filling before so was shocked when my tooth just crumbled off! x

I've had local anaesthetic for an emergency root canal filling while pg. Bbut the dentist said that she could not complete the treatment with a proper filling in the rest of the tooth, and had to put in a temporary dressing instead. IIRC this was because she could not do an X-ray while I was pg.

The injection normally contains adrenaline, I think, which reduces bleeding, and which she said I could not have while I was pg, so the treatment was a little messier than usual. Not enough to be a bother for me, though it might have made things a little trickier for her.

BTW it's not the pgcy that has caused the toothe to break, just coincidence that it has happened now.

I had local anaesthetic and X ray at about 10 weeks. Although the doctor recommend avoiding X rays where possible, the amount of radiation in them is so minimal that it's not considered risky - the infection that can be caused if nothing is done is riskier, apparently...