Preparing for surgery or procedure while breastfeeding or lactation

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.

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.

Tooth extraction and lactation

If the tooth decay is so severe that there is no way to save and cure it, the doctor performs an extraction. For this, local anesthesia is used. Breastfeeding is not a reason to refuse this procedure, since in this situation there is often severe inflammation and pain. Therefore, we cannot wait. It is necessary to inform the dentist in advance about lactation so that he can select the right anesthesia and antibiotics.

There is no need to wean the baby from the breast during the period of removal and recovery. The only recommendation is for the mother to stop eating solid food.

It is impossible to delay treatment, since a decayed tooth is a source of infection that will spread throughout the body and be passed on to the child.

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.

First aid for toothache

Acute toothache should be relieved as soon as possible, without waiting for a visit to the dentist. You can take one of the drugs based on paracetamol or ibuprofen without harm to the baby. One of these medications should always be in your medicine cabinet.

The most effective option is ibuprofen and its derivatives. Compared to paracetamol, it relieves pain better.

Important! Do not take painkillers or antipyretics without reading the composition of the medication and the instructions for its use. The best option would be to consult a pediatrician.

Read the leaflet for the drug

Analgin and its derivatives should absolutely not be taken to relieve painful and uncomfortable sensations:

• "Analdim";
• "Tempalgin";
• "Sedalgin";
• "Pentalgin" etc.

If it is necessary to use the drug during lactation, you must stop breastfeeding

All of the above medications through milk have a negative effect on the internal organs and systems of the baby.

• Anesthesia in dentistry during breastfeeding

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.

Is it possible to treat teeth during breastfeeding?

If we compare the potential threat from medications used in dental treatment and from pathogenic bacteria in the carious cavity of the tooth, then the latter are much more dangerous for the child. Remember how many times a day a mother kisses her baby, not to mention the fact that she can taste food or drink from baby dishes to make sure they are at normal temperature? The infection will get to the child one way or another. Therefore, treating the teeth of a nursing mother is not only possible, but also absolutely necessary. You just need to warn your doctor about your situation.

If you go to the dentist at the first signs of caries, you can get by with minimal manipulations that do not require x-rays, anesthesia, or antibiotics. In this case, you don’t have to worry at all that dental treatment will somehow affect breast milk, and feed the baby immediately upon returning from the doctor.

X-rays during breastfeeding are also not contraindicated: short-term exposure to X-rays when photographing a diseased tooth will not make milk radioactive and will not harm the baby through breast milk. Moreover, filling materials will not penetrate into the blood and cannot pass into breast milk. And if there is a need for antibiotics, you can choose a medicine that is compatible with breastfeeding.