What kind of anesthesia can be used to treat teeth?
Many believe that it’s impossible to use anesthesia in the dentist’s office during pregnancy. Thankfully, this is not true. Modern dentistry has long had safe pain relievers for expecting mothers. And if a tooth hurts during pregnancy, it must be treated. Untreated cavities in an expectant mother can cause early development of cavities in a child [1]. In mothers with untreated cavities, children are three times more likely to suffer from this disease [2].
What kind of pain relief can you use?
The American Dental Association recommends lidocaine and lidocaine with epinephrine for local anesthesia [3]. This has been confirmed by a group of researchers from Seoul National University who agree that lidocaine does not pose a danger to the mother and fetus and is the most optimal anesthetic for dental treatment during pregnancy [4].
What if you need to take an X-ray?
If a doctor needs an X-ray in order to treat a tooth, it’s best to wait until the second or third trimester [5].
