Painkillers for toothache while breastfeeding

Indications for tooth extraction during lactation

During the procedure, drugs are used that can penetrate into mother's milk. If it is possible to postpone the date of the operation, then extirpation is carried out after the child is transferred to artificial nutrition. A dental unit is removed urgently during a purulent inflammatory process, as it contributes to the spread of infection throughout the body.

In what cases is surgery necessary:

• suppuration of a cyst, abscess, periostitis;
• unsteadiness due to periodontitis, periodontal disease of the third, fourth degree;
• odontogenic osteomyelitis, sinusitis, phlegmon;
• tooth root fracture;
• pulpitis, which cannot be cured due to the complexity of the canals;
• impacted figure eight, complicated growth of the third molar, pressure on neighboring teeth;
• deep caries that affected the root.

Unscheduled extraction is also performed in cases of severe, persistent pain.

The procedure has contraindications, including acute respiratory infections, chronic diseases in the acute stage, oral infections, sinusitis, severe pathologies of the liver, kidneys, heart, blood vessels, leukemia, bleeding disorders, and mental disorders.

Preparing for removal

If the tooth begins to ache, the gums are swollen, and the breath smells bad, then this may indicate severe inflammation in the dental system. At the appointment, the dentist collects an anamnesis, conducts a visual examination and sends the woman for an x-ray. It is important for a nursing mother to avoid psycho-emotional stress, so she is allowed to take sedatives in advance.

The best option for maintaining mental stability and eliminating fear is oxygen sedation with nitrous oxide (NAS). It is done in the doctor's office before the procedure. The patient inhales the gas and falls asleep. Additionally, a local anesthetic is injected into the gum.

Content:

1. Is it permissible to use local anesthetics?
2. Anesthetics that can be used by nursing mothers
3. Is it possible to feed a baby immediately after dental treatment is completed?
4. How to reduce the likelihood of developing dental disease after childbirth

Many women experience the need for dental treatment while breastfeeding. This is due to the increased load on the body of a young mother, calcium deficiency, and hormonal changes. If you have a toothache, it is very important to seek qualified dental care as soon as possible. The doctor will tell you whether the disease can be treated without interrupting lactation.

The process of tooth extraction in a nursing mother

The procedure for a woman during lactation is no different from that performed for ordinary patients.

Extirpation of a dental unit is carried out in stages:

• antiseptic treatment of mucous membranes;
• anesthesia with local antiseptics or general anesthesia;
• applying forceps and disconnecting the ligament;
• rocking or dislocation;
• extraction from the hole;
• stop bleeding.

If the third molar from below is removed, the operation becomes more complicated. In order to pull it out, the doctor cuts the gum, removes part of the bone, divides the roots into fragments and removes them separately. To prevent infection, the wound is treated with antibacterial drugs. After all manipulations, the gums are sutured with absorbable or non-absorbable suture material.

Is it permissible to use local anesthetics?

There is a myth that any dental painkillers are strictly contraindicated for nursing mothers. It is because of this that women put off a visit to the dental clinic - only a few are ready to treat a sore tooth without anesthesia.

In fact, local anesthetics can be used during lactation. Not all medications are suitable, but the list of safe options is wide. Therefore, the patient will definitely not have to endure severe pain during the treatment of a deep carious cavity, pulpitis or advanced inflammation.

It is very important that the patient warns the dentist in advance that she is breastfeeding. Then the doctor will be able to choose the optimal pain reliever for her.

If the upcoming intervention is very serious and requires the mandatory administration of a potent analgesic, you should discuss with your doctor the possibility of carrying out all the manipulations later - when the lactation period is over. If the disease does not tolerate delay, arguing with a specialist is not only pointless, but also harmful to health - you just need to trust him.

Often, after dental therapy, the dentist prescribes a course of antibiotics. This also confuses mothers, since all antibacterial agents are excreted in milk, which means they can pose a danger to the newborn. In fact, there is no need to worry. If the doctor is warned about lactation, he will choose exactly the medicine that will not harm the baby. But the mother’s independent refusal of antibiotic therapy can lead to serious complications.

It is important to understand: in most cases, postponing therapy until later results in serious problems. Therefore, the answer to the question of whether dental treatment is allowed during breastfeeding is affirmative. And the sooner a woman visits the dentist, the higher her chances of a speedy recovery.

X-ray and anesthesia during lactation

Before extirpation of a dental unit, an x-ray or computed tomography is almost always done. This is necessary to assess the structure, position and condition of the root system. To protect the patient from x-ray radiation, she is wearing a lead apron. It blocks dangerous waves, but after the procedure it is better to express the first batch of milk and pour it out.

For local anesthesia, private clinics use drugs approved during pregnancy: Ultracain, Ubistezin, Artifrin, Alfacain and similar medications. They do not contain toxic components that can cause allergies and other side effects. Primacaine has a short half-life, so feedings may not be missed.

Anesthesia is used only in extreme cases, if a complex and lengthy extraction is being performed. If general anesthesia is necessary, the child is temporarily transferred to artificial nutrition. During this period, the mother must express milk regularly to ensure milk production continues.

If antibiotic therapy is necessary after a complex removal, then breastfeeding will have to be stopped for several days. During long-term withdrawal, doctors recommend giving artificial formula not through a pacifier, but through a spoon or even a syringe without a needle. Otherwise, the baby may refuse to breastfeed, since the process of sucking milk from a bottle with a nipple is much easier.

Recommendations for the recovery period

In order to avoid complications after surgery, you need to follow all the doctor's advice. After the procedure, the doctor applies a cotton swab to stop the bleeding. It should be held for no more than 10 minutes, otherwise the blood clot will dry out and come off along with the cotton wool. With high blood pressure, bleeding continues for a longer time, so the tampon can be kept in place for 15 - 20 minutes.

In the first days you cannot:

• overheat the body, apply warming compresses;
• engage in heavy physical labor and sports;
• lick a blood clot;
• eat hot, spicy, rough food;
• drink through a straw;
• smoke;
• touch the socket with a toothbrush and other objects.

You are allowed to eat after 3-4 hours. The issue of feeding a child should be discussed with a doctor. Local anesthetics practically do not enter the blood, and components penetrate into mother's milk in minimal quantities. If the doctor has not prescribed other medications, then you can feed the baby within a few hours.

After the anesthetic wears off, pain appears. Possible increase in body temperature. To relieve acute symptoms, you can take Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, Naproxen. You can reduce pain and swelling by using cold compresses.

Rinsing your mouth and brushing your teeth is allowed on the second day. For rinsing, pharmaceutical preparations are used: Romazulan, Chlorhexidine, Miramestin. They will prevent the development of infection and inflammation. You can rinse your mouth with an aqueous solution of baking soda and salt. To improve the healing of damaged tissue, decoctions of oak bark, chamomile, and calendula are used.

Prevention measures

Extraction of a dental unit is carried out in cases where the disease is advanced or therapeutic treatment does not have an effect. Since teeth decay faster during pregnancy, it is necessary to carry out proper oral hygiene and undergo a preventive examination by a dentist while carrying a child. If pathology is detected in the early stages, removal will not be required.

Doctors' recommendations during lactation:

• brush your teeth twice a day;
• rinse your mouth after every meal, use dental floss;
• eat well;
• limit consumption of sweet foods.

During lactation, teeth can and should be treated. Even if anesthesia is performed with lidocaine, there is no need to worry. You just need to check with your doctor for how long you should refrain from feeding. The components of the drug enter milk in minimal concentrations, so when used in small dosages they will not harm the baby’s health.

Dental treatment while breastfeeding

If you are a nursing mother and are faced with dental problems, then visiting a dentist is absolutely necessary to prevent the harmful consequences of “neglected” dental health.

First you need to understand the possible causes of tooth pain during breastfeeding. There are a number of problems that can cause young mothers to feel discomfort in their teeth:

• Gingivitis

This is inflammation of the gums, the causes of which can be a lack of vitamin C, smoking, decreased immunity, poor nutrition, and malocclusion. But the main reason is the proliferation of bacteria due to insufficient oral hygiene and accumulated plaque. The first symptoms of gingivitis are redness and itching of the gums, increased bleeding, inflammation and swelling.

• Periodontitis

This inflammation is one of the most severe forms of gum disease and can lead to permanent tooth loss. Such dental pathology can develop if gingivitis is not treated in time. The first symptoms are bleeding when brushing your teeth, red or swollen gums, and bad breath.

• Hypersensitivity.

For the normal development of a child’s body, he needs a number of useful substances, including calcium. If a young mother does not receive enough microelements in her diet, then over time they will be susceptible to leaching from the body. This will lead to the destruction of enamel and increased fragility of bones, and as a result will lead to problems with teeth. The first symptoms are increased tooth sensitivity, sharp short-term pain in the teeth.

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• Caries and pulpitis.

Caries are small spots on the surface of the tooth that appear due to the influence of harmful external and internal factors on the teeth and leading to inflammatory processes in the hard layers of the tooth. Pulpitis is an inflammation that flows from deep caries, which reaches the root canals and nerve endings, affecting them. Diseases of caries and pulpitis can be caused by simple non-compliance with oral hygiene, poor nutrition, as well as gastrointestinal diseases. Symptoms of these dental pathologies are acute pain from sweet or cold foods, severe aching pain that lasts 10 minutes or more.

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What to do if toothache occurs during lactation?

If you have a toothache, you should immediately contact a specialist who will conduct diagnostics to identify pathologies and give you accurate recommendations on the problem. However, due to the busy life of a nursing mother, there is not always time for an emergency trip to the doctor. This means that you don’t have to endure toothache before visiting the dentist’s office. You can reduce pain using the following procedures:

• Remove food debris that has fallen into the gaps between the teeth, which irritate the nerve upon contact;
• Apply a cotton swab moistened with Dent drops to the area with painful symptoms - this will reduce the pain and soothe the tooth;
• Rinse your mouth with solutions of furatsilin, hydrogen peroxide, chlorhexidine or potassium permanganate;
• Rinse your mouth after meals with a baking soda solution;
• Rinse your mouth with a decoction of oak bark;
• After consulting with your doctor, you can take a drug based on ibuprofen or paracetamol.

But you should not rely on the fact that such procedures will bring a long-term effect of peace and lack of discomfort. Only a dentist can prescribe real treatment that will help eradicate the source of pain and finally solve the problem. At the same time, do not forget to inform the nursing mother about your situation so that the specialist can choose the most appropriate medications for treatment and prescribe the necessary procedures that will not harm you and your baby.

What dental procedures should you avoid during lactation and why?

During the period of breastfeeding, do not forget that there are also dental procedures that you should avoid:

• Teeth whitening - it is contraindicated during lactation, since rehabilitation at this time occurs more slowly and can cause complications associated with a lack of calcium, which will lead to the appearance of enamel defects and the development of caries;
• The installation of dental implants is allowed only if the person is healthy and the body is able to endure a complex implantation operation and the adaptation period of the implant without much harm to it. During breastfeeding, women experience a lack of nutrients in the body, accompanied by weakness due to constant lack of sleep and anxiety. In addition, after implantation of dentures, the doctor must prescribe a course of antibiotics, which is undesirable for women during breastfeeding;
• Antibiotic therapy is an effective way to combat bacteria that affect the oral mucosa, which causes inflammation of the gums and pain in the teeth;
• The use of certain pain medications (analgin, citramon). The use of these drugs is prohibited, as they contain aspirin and caffeine, which are very dangerous for the child because they increase blood circulation. Analgin reduces the number of platelets and leukocytes, which leads to the destruction of bone marrow.

Is anesthesia acceptable during breastfeeding?

Today, almost every procedure related to dental treatment is performed using anesthesia. The doctor, taking into account the patient’s characteristics, selects the most suitable drug that does not cause negative reactions in his body. Anesthesia helps to get rid of pain during treatment and undergo surgery to eliminate dental pathology without experiencing discomfort and fear.

Problems that require local anesthesia:

• Root canal treatment;
• Tooth extraction;
• Removal of dental cysts;
• Fixing the pins.

It is possible to perform an anesthesia procedure for dental treatment during breastfeeding. In this case, it is necessary to choose the right anesthetics. For nursing women, short-acting local anesthetics are used, which are eliminated from the body 5-6 hours after administration and reduce sensitivity only in those places where it is necessary. These include:

• Novocaine - used in treatment with extreme caution if the intended benefit to the nursing mother outweighs the risks of harming the newborn baby;
• Lidocaine is one of the most commonly used anesthetic agents due to its low concentrations, which remain in the blood and milk of the nursing mother, and its short-lived effect;
• Articaine is also one of the relatively safe medications, characterized by minimal concentrations, due to which there is no need to interrupt breastfeeding after visiting the dentist.

If you have doubts about these drugs, you can consult a specialist who will select for you an individual anesthesia that will not harm either you or your child. But you should not abstain from the anesthesia procedure in any case, since during dental operations the body has a stress reaction, subsequently releasing adrenaline, which can cause excitement of the nervous system and tension on an emotional level in an infant.

Is it possible to feed a child after anesthesia?

Of course, you can feed a baby, but you need to remember precautions and know that anesthesia is finally removed from the body only after 5-6 hours. Therefore, you should follow the advice of doctors who recommend feeding the baby before the procedure and stocking up on breast milk. After anesthesia, you should drain the milk, which may have contained some of the anesthesia drug, by feeding the baby with milk that was expressed earlier.

Prevention of caries during lactation.

During lactation, women experience enormous stress on the body, but no one is immune from the occurrence of any diseases or pain. Therefore, it is worth following some recommendations to prevent situations that can negatively affect your health, psychological state and mood:

• Follow the rules for oral care and hygiene;
• Reduce consumption of sweet foods;
• Brush your teeth regularly with a quality brush and toothpaste without harmful chemicals;
• Do not consume too cold or hot foods and drinks;
• After each meal, rinse;
• Be sure to include in your diet foods rich in microelements and vitamins;
• Periodically visit the dentist's office to check the condition of the dentition and further consultation on maintaining dental health.