Can You Get Wisdom Teeth Removed While Pregnant?

Everybody hates going to the dentist, but finding yourself in that chair while expecting presents special difficulties: your back may hurt, your gums may be especially sensitive, and every flavor of toothpaste or polish may make you queasy.

Although the second trimester is the preferred time frame, wisdom teeth extractions can be done while a woman is pregnant.

So what exactly is going on—can a pregnant woman have a tooth pulled? With a few restrictions, yes. You must be aware of the following.

Risks of Wisdom Teeth Removal During Pregnancy

A type of oral surgery procedure, wisdom tooth extractions are technical. Extraction of the tooth can be an easy or difficult process on its own, just like other tooth removal methods. Pregnancy-related wisdom tooth pain is influenced by several factors, including the tooth’s position, any active cysts or infections, and its developmental stage.

Many misconceptions about dental care (including extractions) during pregnancy stem from erroneous beliefs. Doctors and dental professionals have discovered that pregnancy is a perfectly healthy state where the majority of medically necessary procedures can be carried out, especially as women’s access to care and scientific research advances.

It’s unlikely that wisdom teeth will suddenly appear out of nowhere because they typically erupt gradually over the course of several years. More often than not, you’ll experience some “flare ups” that come and go as the third molars develop. Simply because of this, wisdom tooth extractions can typically be scheduled at a time that works for the patient. However, you might need to schedule your surgery earlier if you’re in a lot of pain.

Read More: How Soon Can I Eat Rice After Wisdom Teeth Removal

You might feel helpless if you’re pregnant and having pain from your wisdom teeth. When you are expecting, can you have your wisdom teeth removed? Only if the advantages of extraction outweigh the disadvantages. It may not be the best for a woman who is very early in or very late in her pregnancy to undergo routine procedures like X-rays, anesthesia, and moderately invasive surgery, all of which are safe on their own.

Safety of Wisdom Teeth Removal in Pregnant Patients

X-rays, anesthesia, and infection pose the biggest threats to pregnant women who undergo wisdom tooth extraction.

• X-Rays

For the purpose of organizing your surgery, we must take x-rays before your wisdom tooth extraction. All x-rays expose people to radiation, but modern dental x-rays reduce this exposure, so there is little risk when wearing a protective apron.

• Anesthesia

Before starting any work, we will at the very least numb your mouth with local anesthesia. “Local” is key here—this anesthesia is targeted and it doesn’t travel throughout the body, so it’s safe to use during pregnancy. The safest method of treatment is to have your wisdom teeth extracted under only local anesthesia.

Although anesthesia takes care of the discomfort, many patients choose IV sedation in most cases when having their wisdom teeth removed. While technically still conscious, IV sedation allows patients to “sleep” through their procedure; once it’s over, they have no memory of it. Although IV sedation is generally not advised for pregnant patients, in complex cases we might collaborate with your obstetrician to find a safe sedation technique for you.

• Infection

There is always a risk of infection associated with wisdom tooth extraction, just like with any surgical procedure. Several antibiotics are safe for use during pregnancy if this were to happen.

When You Shouldn’t Postpone a Needed Tooth Extraction

Having medical procedures done while pregnant can occasionally carry a small risk, but the advantages far outweigh it (or the risk of doing nothing at all is worse).

What happens in your mouth doesn’t always stay there, and it’s possible for it to affect other areas of your body as well. Your mouth isn’t like Las Vegas. In addition, an untreated oral infection can spread and cause serious illness.

You should always go through with a tooth extraction, even during pregnancy, if:

• It’s affecting your daily life that you’re in excruciating pain.
• Infection is a possibility.
• Permanent harm to the gums or teeth is a possibility.

Is It Safe to Have the Tooth Extracted?

Most of the time, yes; in fact, all dental procedures—with the possible exception of whitening—are safe to perform while pregnant. This also applies to the removal of wisdom teeth, though most dentists prefer to put off this kind of procedure out of an abundance of caution as long as the wisdom teeth aren’t causing complications.

Read More: How Often Should I Use Whitening Strips

However, if any of your teeth—including your wisdom teeth—meet the requirements we outlined above, they can and should be extracted while you are pregnant.

Is It Safe to Have Anesthesia During Your Tooth Extraction?

Yes! How many of these activities are permitted for you to engage in while pregnant may surprise you. (You probably wish dental procedures weren’t on the list because then you’d have an excuse to put them off.)

But let’s back up a sec, because not all kinds of anesthesia are safe. The syringe-injected local anesthesia, which, as its name implies, is administered to just one area of your body, is perfectly safe to use during a dental procedure while you are pregnant.

Some other types of anesthesia are also acceptable, but some medical professionals caution against using sedation or general anesthesia while pregnant (i.e., where you get knocked out, basically).

If you’re worried, talk with your dentist and your pregnancy-related health provider, whether that’s an Together, you and your OB-GYN or midwife should be able to determine what you can safely use during your procedure.

The Takeaway

Although having a tooth pulled while expecting is probably going to be painful, the procedure itself is safe, as are all the associated steps, including X-rays and some forms of anesthesia.

Although it’s always preferable to put off unnecessary procedures until after the baby is born, you can get them done knowing that your baby will be fine.

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