Toothache and pregnancy

If you are one of the many unlucky when who are facing two difficult situations at the same time, toothache and pregnancy, you are not alone. Many women don’t realize that even though they are pregnant that they should not take having a toothache lightly. Often women think they should avoid dental treatment or taking medications for the pain because they are afraid that it may harm their unborn baby.

One of the biggest things toothache and pregnancy can cause if untreated is stress. This is because they are dealing with severe pain which can not only affect the mom but the baby as well. As if pregnancy isn’t hard enough on it’s on a toothache can cause you to lose many hours of needed sleep. When you combine a toothache and pregnancy it can be dangerous if not treated. When mom becomes stressed it can put strain on the baby as well so you will want to make sure you get some type of treatment as soon as possible.

If you can pinpoint the exact area in which your tooth hurts you may try to apply pressure using your hand. Unfortunately many times when you have a toothache and pregnancy it can cause pains in other areas such as the neck, ear or even your head depending on the area of the tooth causing your pain. If applying pressure does not work you may want to try either a warm compress or a cold compress depending on which one you have the most tolerance for. If one doesn’t work after approximately 20 minutes then switch to the other one.

There are a few other things that you can try from home when you are suffering from a toothache and pregnancy. You can try to ease the pain by gargling salt water. This may help to relieve the pain a bit and also wash away anything that may have gotten lodged in the soar tooth.

If these do not help with your toothache and pregnancy you may consider using one of the many over the counter toothache medications. Usually you can choose between a gel or liquid form and should be used exactly as the directions describe. For the gel medications you can squirt a dab on your finger or a q-tip and then apply it directly to the affected area. For the liquid you would be better off using a cotton ball to apply it to the tooth.

Aside from these suggestions even if they do work you should always consult a doctor. Any type of health issue can not only affect the pregnant woman but her unborn baby as well. It’s in the best interest that when you have a toothache and pregnancy that you have your teeth looked at right away to make sure you do not have some type of infection. If you do have an infection you may need an antibiotic which can only be prescribed by a doctor. Before you ever take any type of pain medication you should also discuss it with your dentist or regular doctor to ensure that it’s safe to take during pregnancy.