Tooth Extraction While Breastfeeding – Is It Safe?

Yes, it’s absolutely safe for you to have tooth extraction surgery if needed during pregnancy. There is no scientific proof that dental procedures and local anesthesia impact the mother’s breast milk. To make things easier, feed your baby before your procedure, and you can also breastfeed your baby soon after the procedure too, provided you feel alert enough. There’s no need to pump and dump that golden liquid or stop breastfeeding your little one.

Whether it’s your wisdom tooth removal or a tooth extraction surgery, it’s safe to breastfeed your baby as long as your dentist knows about the proper use of local anesthetic that is safe for breast milk.

How is tooth extraction safe during breastfeeding?

A young mom of a newborn baby is at the dentist about to get one of her teeth extracted.

X-rays done before the surgery and medications administered like novocaine, lidocaine, and bupivacaine, for local anesthesia are considered to be well-suited for breastfeeding moms by leading doctors.

If your doctor administers Valium, then you can resume breastfeeding your baby as soon as you become alert from your sedation.

Valium is also considered to be safe during breastfeeding. So, there will be no need to worry and pump and dump your milk after the procedure.

Mama, remember if you’re worried about your little one’s health and if the procedure or the medications will affect your baby, then always feel free to talk to your dentist and your lactation consultant about your hesitations.

Nitrous oxide, also known as the laughing gas, which is commonly used as a sedative for a tooth extraction procedure and also to reduce anxiety, is compatible with breastfeeding too.

With nitrous oxide, the patient breathes the gas through a nasal mask, and as quickly it works, it wears off quickly too. It goes from your brain to your lungs to the room air immediately after you stop breathing it in.

So this also means that nitrous oxide doesn’t enter your bloodstream, making it a safe option for breastfeeding mothers.

So, mama, if you’re having a tooth extraction procedure, remember, it doesn’t have to interrupt your usual breastfeeding routine, except during the procedure.

As soon as you feel alert after the procedure, you can go ahead and breastfeed your baby if need be. There’s no need to pump and dump, but to make things easier, you can either feed your baby before the surgery or pump some milk and refrigerate it.

Takeaway

So to conclude, I’d suggest you keep your worries, about breastfeeding, after a tooth extraction procedure at bay, and be relaxed, breathe in and out, and don’t worry about the procedure or about whether the medications will affect your breast milk.

Most medications used orally, or for inhalation, or for sedation do not interfere or affect the mother’s breast milk and are absolutely safe for breastfeeding.

They have minimal to zero effect on breast milk and the infant. But, if you still have concerns, you can always talk to your dentist.

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Located in India and a mother to a joyfully mischievous son, Kelin is the wife of the world’s most patient man and a busy homemaker. When she’s not busy cooking and running after her kid,  you can find her in a corner reading, or penning down words on her laptop. She believes the world will always try to instil ‘mom guilt’ in new mothers, but she goes by the maxim ‘a mother knows best'.

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