Thread: My wife just split a tooth...

Dammit.

an upper right molar split right down the middle.

The biggest problem is that
1) due to her pregnancy she cannot take painkillers.
2) it is christmas holiday, so it will be difficult to get immediate help.
3) she has to eat regularly, because the baby always needs food.
4) she has to watch out for infection, since the majority of unnatural miscarriages can be traced to infection of teeth and mouth. apparently this has to do with the fact that there is only a thin separation between the mouth area and the bloodstream.

We'll try to get an emergency appointment tomorrow. Her pregnancy should make them put in some extra effort to fit her in, IMO.

ouch - this sounds bad! I hope she and you get through it as well as possible

cheers
Ivo

Originally Posted by Bruno

Dammit.

an upper right molar split right down the middle.

The biggest problem is that
1) due to her pregnancy she cannot take painkillers.
2) it is christmas holiday, so it will be difficult to get immediate help.
3) she has to eat regularly, because the baby always needs food.
4) she has to watch out for infection, since the majority of unnatural miscarriages can be traced to infection of teeth and mouth. apparently this has to do with the fact that there is only a thin separation between the mouth area and the bloodstream.

We'll try to get an emergency appointment tomorrow. Her pregnancy should make them put in some extra effort to fit her in, IMO.

That happened to me about two years ago..only I swallowed the half of it LOL They just did a root canal and a cap over what was left and it was fine. It didnt hurt very much honestly, so hopefully your wife isnt in much pain either. The worst part about it was how annoying it felt against my tongue...that bothered me to know end. Obviously I wasnt pregnant when this happened. They did tell me to rinse well several times a day with some sort of oral antisceptic that I picked up at a local pharmacy until I got back into town, I dont know if that might help your wife. I didnt have time for a root canal for almost 6 months so they just gave me a temporary cap to wear over the tooth which worked quite well.

Well, for what my advice is worth (and I am NOT a medical professional by the way), as a temporary "stop gap" measure, you could use clove oil to numb the pain, and a warm salt water solution to wash the mouth to help prevent infection.

If there is any bleeding, avoid alcohol consumption of any sort, as well as the consumption of hot beverages such as tea and coffee etc.

I have experienced long term oral pain in the past, and the above helped see me through a very bad abcess for a period of several weeks until I could get dental attention.

Clove oil is absolutely priceless to have in the medicine cabinet in my opinion for oral pain. Just be ready with a handkerchief as it can make you dribble in a very undignified fashion

Hope that helps and best wishes to you and your wife.

Originally Posted by Shorty

... you could use clove oil to numb the pain, and a warm salt water solution to wash the mouth to help prevent infection.

These sound like good measures.

X

I'm not sure if you can use it while pregnant, but there exists a topical creme you can put in your mouth to numb certain areas. I was giving it when I had my braces, might be worth looking into.

The saltwater thing is good to keep the mouth clean, it tastes much worse than, but doesn't sting as bad as mouthwash. I had to use it frequently after I got my wisdom teeth out... kinda desensitized me to salt though

I should have checked first before offering the information about clove oil. Apparently clove oil should be avoided during pregnancy because it is a uterine stimulant. So it is definitely to be avoided in this situation.

Some info taken from this site

Some antibiotics are suitable for pregnant women. They include Penicillin, Amoxicillin, Clindamycin, etc. Pain killers such as Paracetamol could also be used. Medications such as Tetracycline will affect the tooth calcification of the foetus, which will change the tooth colour of the foetus. Medication used by expectant mothers must be prescribed by doctors or dentists. Do not purchase over-the-counter drugs from pharmacies. You may consult your doctor or dentist for further details.

Hope that helps.

Topical painkillers such as Orajel will help with the pain - also avoid hot or cold beverages.

If you can't get to the dentist today, you may be able to find some temporary filling material at your drug store, one brand is Dentemp:

http://www.shopinprivate.com/dencusfilmix.html

This is good for chips and lost fillings, so it should work on your wife's tooth.

There's a dentist in the family and those were his recommendations (short of getting to a dentist, of course!)

Originally Posted by Shorty

If there is any bleeding, avoid alcohol consumption of any sort

I'd second this, but hopefully your wife isn't pounding 'em back right now.

Extra strength oragel is the strongest stuff you can get without a prescription and it will do alright. Check to see if it can be used while pregnant, but other than that, just squirt it into the tooth.

I'll put in another vote for clove oil, even though I don't see much of a chance of oragel messing with the heir.