How does general anesthesia affect pregnancy? Dental treatment during pregnancy with anesthesia

FAQ

First of all, one that does not injure the gums during use. At the same time, the quality of oral hygiene depends more on whether the teeth are brushed correctly than on the shape or type of toothbrush. As for electric brushes, for uninformed people they are a more preferable option; although you can clean your teeth efficiently with a simple (manual) brush. In addition, a toothbrush alone is often not enough - floss (special dental floss) must be used to clean between the teeth.

Mouthwashes are additional hygiene products that effectively cleanse the entire oral cavity of harmful bacteria. All these products can be divided into two large groups - therapeutic and preventive and hygienic.

The latter include mouthwashes that eliminate unpleasant odors and promote fresh breath.

As for therapeutic and prophylactic ones, these include rinses that have anti-plaque/anti-inflammatory/anti-carious effects and help reduce the sensitivity of hard dental tissues. This is achieved due to the presence of various biologically active components in the composition. Therefore, the mouthwash must be selected individually for each individual, as well as toothpaste. And since the product is not washed off with water, it only consolidates the effect of the active ingredients of the paste.

This type of cleaning is completely safe for dental tissues and causes less damage to the soft tissues of the oral cavity. The fact is that in dental clinics a special level of ultrasonic vibrations is selected, which affects the density of the stone, disrupts its structure and separates it from the enamel. In addition, in places where tissues are treated with an ultrasonic scaler (this is the name of the device for cleaning teeth), a special cavitation effect occurs (after all, oxygen molecules are released from water droplets, which enter the treatment area and cool the tip of the instrument). The cell membranes of pathogenic microorganisms are ruptured by these molecules, causing the microbes to die.

It turns out that ultrasonic cleaning has a comprehensive effect (provided that really high-quality equipment is used) both on the stone and on the microflora as a whole, cleansing it. But the same cannot be said about mechanical cleaning. Moreover, ultrasonic cleaning is more pleasant for the patient and takes less time.

According to dentists, dental treatment should be carried out regardless of your situation. Moreover, a pregnant woman is recommended to visit the dentist every one to two months, because, as you know, when carrying a baby, the teeth are significantly weakened, suffer from a deficiency of phosphorus and calcium, and therefore the risk of developing caries or even tooth loss increases significantly. To treat pregnant women, it is necessary to use harmless anesthesia. The most appropriate course of treatment should be selected exclusively by a qualified dentist, who will also prescribe the required medications that strengthen tooth enamel.

It is quite difficult to treat wisdom teeth due to their anatomical structure. However, qualified specialists successfully treat them. Wisdom teeth prosthetics are recommended when one (or several) adjacent teeth are missing or need to be removed (if you also remove a wisdom tooth, there will simply be nothing to chew). In addition, removal of a wisdom tooth is undesirable if it is located in the correct place in the jaw, has its own antagonist tooth and takes part in the chewing process. You should also take into account the fact that poor quality treatment can lead to the most serious complications.

Here, of course, a lot depends on a person’s taste. So, there are absolutely invisible systems attached to the inside of the teeth (known as lingual), and there are also transparent ones. But the most popular are still metal bracket systems with colored metal/elastic ligatures. It's really fashionable!

To begin with, it is simply unattractive. If this is not enough for you, we present the following argument - tartar and plaque on the teeth often provoke bad breath. Is this not enough for you? In this case, we move on: if tartar “grows”, this will inevitably lead to irritation and inflammation of the gums, that is, it will create favorable conditions for periodontitis (a disease in which periodontal pockets form, pus constantly flows out of them, and the teeth themselves become mobile ). And this is a direct path to the loss of healthy teeth. Moreover, the number of harmful bacteria increases, which causes increased dental caries.

The service life of a well-established implant will be tens of years. According to statistics, at least 90 percent of implants function perfectly 10 years after installation, while the service life is on average 40 years. Typically, this period will depend both on the design of the product and on how carefully the patient cares for it. That is why it is imperative to use an irrigator during cleaning. In addition, it is necessary to visit the dentist at least once a year. All these measures will significantly reduce the risk of implant loss.

Removal of a dental cyst can be done therapeutically or surgically. In the second case, we are talking about tooth extraction with further cleaning of the gums. In addition, there are modern methods that allow you to save the tooth. This is, first of all, cystectomy - a rather complex operation that involves removing the cyst and the affected root tip. Another method is hemisection, in which the root and a fragment of the tooth above it are removed, after which it (the part) is restored with a crown.

As for therapeutic treatment, it consists of cleaning out the cyst through a root canal. This is also a difficult option, especially not always effective. Which method should you choose? This will be decided by the doctor together with the patient.

In the first case, professional systems based on carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide are used to change the color of teeth. Obviously, it is better to give preference to professional whitening.

Anesthesia, or in medical terms, anesthesia, is an essential part of any surgical operation. As a rule, at least once in his life, a person experiences the effects of anesthesia on himself, even of a local nature. Rarely, but still, the need for anesthesia may arise during the period of bearing a child. In this case, the completely natural question of the safety of anesthesia for the expectant mother and her fetus often arises. Does anesthesia affect the condition of the expectant mother’s body and the fetus? And if it does, how?

According to statistics, the need for anesthesia occurs in approximately two percent of pregnancies. This may be influenced by factors such as surgical operations in the field of traumatology, surgery (appendectomy or cholecystetomy), and dentistry.

Surgery during pregnancy can only be performed if there is a high level of threat to the mother’s life. If the woman’s health situation is not so serious, surgical interventions are postponed until after childbirth.

Turning to statistical data again and analyzing them, medicine came to the following conclusions:

• among pregnant women who underwent surgical interventions with anesthesia during pregnancy, there is extremely low mortality;
• the risk of developing abnormalities in the child when the mother undergoes anesthesia during pregnancy is also extremely low;
• the probability of a miscarriage after the expectant mother has undergone anesthesia is equal to six percent of the total amount of anesthesia during pregnancy, and this figure is increased to eleven percent in cases of anesthesia in the first trimester of pregnancy, and this especially applies to the first eight weeks of pregnancy;
• The risk of premature birth with anesthesia during pregnancy is approximately eight percent of the total number of cases.

Numerous studies confirm the safety of anesthetics used during pregnancy. Even the negative effects of ancient and dangerous anesthetics such as diazepam and nitrous oxide are now being questioned by leading surgeons in world medicine.

An important role in anesthesia during pregnancy is played not by the choice of drug, but by the method of its introduction into the mother’s body, that is, the technique of anesthesia. When carrying out anesthesia during surgery, it is very important to prevent a woman in position from falling in the level of blood pressure and saturation of her blood with oxygen.

Accidental entry of adrenaline into a blood vessel can cause disruption of the mother's blood flow to the placenta, which, in turn, will negatively affect the supply of oxygen to the fetus. Therefore, many doctors do not recommend the use of local anesthetics containing adrenaline during pregnancy, for example, ultracaine.

From all of the above, we can conclude that anesthesia as such during pregnancy does not cause any particular harm to either the body of the expectant mother or her fetus, and is a fairly safe measure. But, anesthesia with adrenaline can negatively affect the development of the child inside the womb, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy, during the development and formation of fetal organs and systems.

Therefore, the decision on anesthesia during pregnancy should be expedient and made only collectively, taking into account the possible negative impact on the fetus.

If the condition of the expectant mother is tolerable enough to postpone surgery, it is best to decide on anesthesia in the period after the birth of the child. As a last resort, it is better to postpone surgery with anesthesia until the third trimester.

If the question arises about the type of anesthesia, then it is preferable to perform the operation under local anesthesia during pregnancy. If local anesthesia is not possible, regional anesthesia is an alternative. If these two types of anesthesia are not possible, the woman undergoes surgery under general anesthesia. For any type of operation with anesthesia, a gynecologist must be present who will tirelessly monitor the condition of the fetus. And if necessary, when the operation is delayed and there is a threat of premature birth, it will be carried out to save the life of both mother and child.

About 5% of women during pregnancy require emergency dental treatment under anesthesia. The safest period for such manipulations is 14-28 weeks, when all the child’s organs are already formed. When performing anesthesia, it is important not only to choose a safe drug, but also to the method of its administration.

Is it possible to have anesthesia during pregnancy?

You can't stand the pain. This is stressful for both the expectant mother and the child. You simply cannot do without anesthesia when performing the following procedures:

• dental treatment, including endodontic - the dental nerve reacts to the slightest mechanical impact, causing acute pain;
• tooth extraction - when a tooth is removed from the alveoli, the nerve endings are damaged, and, of course, unbearable pain occurs. And if you do not use an anesthetic, painful shock may occur;
• prosthetics - installation of a prosthesis requires preparation (grinding) of the enamel; this is a rather unpleasant and painful procedure.

However, any type of anesthesia is potentially dangerous during pregnancy. The use of various medications, including anesthetics, can negatively affect the development of the fetus.

Therefore, at the dentist’s appointment, the patient is obliged to warn the doctor about her pregnancy, and also indicate the exact date. Then the doctor will be able to select special anesthetics, the active substances of which do not cross the placental barrier and do not harm the baby.

Features of anesthesia in dentistry for pregnant women

Safe drugs for local anesthesia

Local (local) anesthesia is the safest type of pain relief. It is used for women during pregnancy. As a rule, a lidocaine solution is used for injection. This drug in small doses can penetrate the placenta in early pregnancy, but it is quickly eliminated from the child’s body and does not cause harm.

Novocaine can also be used during pregnancy, but the dosage is usually reduced.

The anesthetics Ultracaine and Primacaine, containing adrenaline, are very popular in dentistry. However, they cannot be used during pregnancy. Accidental entry of adrenaline into the bloodstream can cause a sharp narrowing of blood vessels and disrupt blood flow to the placenta.

The dosage of the drug depends on the patient’s weight, her pain threshold and the complexity of the planned procedure. As a rule, women are administered 1 ampoule or half, and for excess weight - 2 ampoules. The duration of action of the anesthetic is from 40 minutes to 2 hours.

Main contraindications to local anesthesia:

The third trimester is also a dangerous period for dental procedures. It is especially not recommended to carry out any operations in the 9th month, since there is a high risk of increased uterine tone and premature birth.

Is anesthesia harmful during pregnancy? Doctors say yes. This type of anesthesia can lead to a sharp decrease in blood pressure in a pregnant woman, while oxygen saturation in the blood deteriorates.

Dangerous consequences of general anesthesia:

Operations under anesthesia are carried out in extreme cases when there is a threat to the life of the mother. Superficial sedation (inhalation of nitrous oxide) is also contraindicated. Therefore, only local anesthesia is used for dental treatment.

If a woman is afraid of injections, then you can first numb the mucous membrane with an anesthetic gel, and only then inject into the gums.

Private dental clinics have a large selection of anesthetic drugs indicated during pregnancy. If you are looking for reliable dentistry, we suggest using the convenient search engine on our website.

According to statistics, from 3% to 5% of women need surgical treatment while carrying a child. Therefore, anesthesia during early pregnancy is relevant for anesthesiologists. Many expectant mothers are also concerned about this problem.

Any operation and its anesthesia are a stressful situation for the human body, a direct intervention in the biochemistry and physiology of the processes occurring in it. If the operation is performed during pregnancy, the woman worries not only about her fate, but also about the unborn child. What is the likelihood of negative consequences of anesthesia for the intrauterine development of the fetus?

The most dangerous for the fetus are the first 10 - 12 weeks of pregnancy and the last trimester. In the early stages, the formation of organs and systems of the future person occurs, the mother’s body is rebuilt to function in new conditions. The last weeks of pregnancy are dangerous due to the possibility of premature birth and intrauterine fetal death. One of the reasons for such complications may be surgery and the anesthesia associated with it.

Modern medicine has long developed methods to help pregnant women who need surgical intervention. According to modern canons, an operation in the initial period of bearing a child is possible only if there are emergency indications, if the disease threatens the woman’s life. This may include various injuries, a catastrophe in the abdominal cavity, problems with the urinary system of the expectant mother. It is considered a separate topic.

The main organ connecting the body of a young woman and the fetus is the placenta. This is where oxygen and nutrients are transferred to the unborn baby, and waste products are excreted. For many medications, one of the characteristics is permeability through the placental barrier; drugs for anesthesia or local anesthesia will not be an exception.

Most drugs used in anesthesiology do not pose a direct threat to the expectant mother and fetus, but their effect on the child’s body depends entirely on the dose and correctness of anesthesia. It is necessary to avoid as much as possible hypotension and hypoxia in a woman during surgery, as this can cause a deterioration in placental blood flow.

Some drugs have historically been considered dangerous during anesthesia in early pregnancy. These include:

• nitrous oxide,
• diazepam,
• sibazon,
• various inhalational anesthetics.

Experts advise avoiding the use of epinephrine during pregnancy, although most local anesthetics for dentistry contain this medication.

Analysis of the work of leading surgical centers allows us to draw the following conclusions about the consequences of anesthesia in pregnant women:

• When performing surgery and general anesthesia in the first 9 - 10 weeks of pregnancy, the likelihood of intrauterine fetal death increases by 70 - 80% compared to ordinary pregnant women.
• With proper and high-quality anesthesia in early pregnancy, the risk to the unborn child does not exceed 2 - 3% and is almost comparable to the indicators in women who did not undergo surgery during pregnancy.
• The death of a pregnant woman during surgery or anesthesia is half as common as in ordinary patients. This is explained by a more demanding attitude to medical procedures and the high responsibility of the doctor in the event of maternal mortality.

Types of anesthesia for operations in the early stages of pregnancy

When performing surgery in pregnant women, specialists adhere to several basic principles. First of all, the operation is performed only for health reasons; the woman is advised to postpone any planned surgical intervention until after childbirth.

The choice of type of anesthesia is extremely important. In this case, almost everything depends on the volume of the upcoming intervention and the qualifications of the anesthesiologist. Most operations in early pregnancy are currently performed under local or regional anesthesia. Conducting targeted anesthesia allows you to minimize the effect of medications on the body of a woman and her unborn child.

The main methods are spinal anesthesia. In the first case, the anesthetic is injected into the area of ​​the plexus of the spinal cord roots, which causes anesthesia in those parts of the body whose nerve endings have been anesthetized. With the spinal method, drugs are injected directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, which leads to total anesthesia of the entire lower half of the body.

A negative feature of such methods is a possible fall in the expectant mother, which can lead to impaired blood circulation in the placenta and decreased nutrition of the fetus. However, a modern operating room is equipped with a sufficient amount of monitoring equipment, which makes it possible to recognize and eliminate a threat to the health of the mother and child. Even taking into account the possibility of hemodynamic disturbances, regional anesthesia is the method of choice for operations in pregnant women.

The choice of drugs for such pain relief is quite wide. However, anesthesiologists and dentists have to take into account that most local anesthetics contain epinephrine. The use of ultracaine, bupivocaine, lidocaine and other substances requires appropriate skills and experience in providing first aid in the event of the development of any pathological reactions to their administration.

For some operations, regional anesthesia is insufficient, and then anesthesia is given in the early stages of pregnancy. General anesthesia means turning off the consciousness of the expectant mother for the entire duration of the operation in combination with pain relief.

In medical practice, there are intravenous and inhalation types of anesthesia. However, such methods are practically never used in their pure form.

If general anesthesia is required, then in 90% of cases we are talking about multicomponent intravenous anesthesia with mechanical ventilation. The woman is in a state of medicated sleep, breathing is supported by special equipment. The anesthesiologist and his assistants monitor the condition of all organs and systems of the patient throughout the operation.

Even 10 - 15 years ago, preference for operations on pregnant women was given to inhalation anesthesia. The delivery of medications (fluorotane, narcotan and sevoran) was carried out through a face mask. This type of anesthesia was quite manageable, these medicinal substances minimally entered the fetus’s body and did not have a major impact on the unborn child.

However, the risk of vomiting and the entry of stomach contents into the trachea and lungs of the patient, the possibility of developing aspiration pneumonia and quite severe hypotension forced anesthesiologists to reduce this type of anesthesia as much as possible. And the widespread use of nitrous oxide is simply prohibited for use before 14 weeks of pregnancy due to its high toxicity and critical effects on the fetus.

Basic principles of surgery and anesthesia in pregnant women

In the first trimester of pregnancy, or more precisely up to 14 - 15 weeks, the formation of the main organs and systems of the unborn child takes place. Therefore, any external intervention during this important period can lead to catastrophic consequences.

That is why, when performing surgery on pregnant women with a short term, specialists adhere to several basic rules:

Anesthesia in the early stages of pregnancy should not cause fear in the expectant mother. Modern medicine has enough developments and various techniques to provide the necessary assistance to a pregnant woman.

If the expectant mother has an emergency health problem and requires surgery using anesthesia, she must trust the doctors and strictly follow all instructions before and after the operation. In this case, this trouble will not affect your health and will not interfere with the birth of a healthy baby.

Medical statistics show that 2% of pregnant women need to perform some kind of surgical intervention related to acute diseases, injuries or the need for dental treatment. In some cases, anesthesia is used to eliminate pain, in others local anesthesia is used, the choice is made individually in each specific case.

When is anesthesia used during pregnancy?

Unfortunately, the happy state of expecting a baby in some pregnant women is overshadowed by the development of acute diseases that require urgent surgery and, of course, pain relief. It is well known that any operation and anesthesia contain a certain amount of risk for an ordinary patient. During pregnancy, this risk increases - both for the fetus and for the woman herself.

And yet, despite all the risks, the doctor is obliged to choose the lesser of two evils, because in any case, anesthesia during pregnancy is associated with operations that are performed for health reasons in the following cases:

• acute appendicitis;
• acute cholecystitis;
• peritonitis;
• intestinal obstruction;
• bleeding of various etiologies;
• acute gynecological pathology (ovarian cyst torsion);
• injuries of the abdominal and thoracic cavities;
• development of abscesses, phlegmon, purulent pleurisy.

Sometimes general anesthesia can be used for various manipulations and diagnostic procedures. For example, in the case of esophagogastric bleeding, gastroscopy is performed under anesthesia.

It is extremely rare to use anesthesia in dental practice. In the vast majority of cases, dental anesthesia in pregnant women is performed using local technology.

Advice: If pain or injury occurs, pregnant women should not take any analgesics, sedatives, or hypnotics on their own without the knowledge of the doctor. They can “erase” the manifestations of the disease and also have a negative impact on the fetus. In these cases, you should immediately consult a doctor.

How does anesthesia affect the mother and fetus?

It is quite true that there are no harmless medicines, or, as they say in everyday life, one medicine heals, and another cripples. This is quite true in relation to anesthesia. General anesthesia affects the nervous, vascular, respiratory and endocrine systems, metabolism, liver and kidney function.

But the question is that such anesthesia is nothing more than a vital necessity, and it is performed in pregnant women only during operations that have vital indications. Here, as they say, there is nowhere to go, and the choice is clear. In principle, modern technologies prevent any serious and lasting effects of anesthesia on the body, and it is quickly cleansed and restored.

As for the unborn child in the womb, anesthesia poses a much greater danger for him, especially in the early stages. Any negative effects in the first trimester, including narcotic drugs, sedatives, analgesics, can affect the formation of fetal organs and subsequently various congenital anomalies can form.

At later stages of pregnancy, that is, after 3 months, the fetus is already fully formed, that is, it is already a real little person with the functioning of all organs and systems. At these times there is no need to worry about anomalies, but the consequences may manifest themselves in the form of hypoxia and developmental delays.

Advice: Once a situation has arisen where an operation under anesthesia is necessary on a pregnant woman, we must overcome all fears and realize that this choice is being made in the name of preserving life, and the possible consequences of anesthesia in this case are secondary. Moreover, modern anesthesia technologies are more gentle, and it is possible to eliminate negative consequences.

How to choose anesthesia during pregnancy

The basic principle of pain management during pregnancy is to make maximum use of local anesthesia. The best option for both the mother and her unborn baby is epidural anesthesia - the injection of an anesthetic around the dura mater of the spinal cord. This method does not cause significant general intoxication, but only temporary side effects occur in the form of nausea, changes in blood pressure, and so on.

When there is a question about serious abdominal interventions, when muscle relaxation is necessary, anesthesia is used. There are many types of it - mask, intravenous, intubation. Various narcotic substances are used - nitrous oxide, fluorotane, calypsol. For pregnant women, anesthesia is selected individually - neuroleptanalgesia with drugs that do not affect the tone of the uterus and do not interfere with the blood circulation of the placenta.

An example of such a drug is calypsol, which is used for short-term intravenous anesthesia and is subsequently quickly eliminated from the body. In any case, the choice of anesthetics and their combination are selected individually, depending on the nature and duration of the upcoming operation.

In dentistry, when urgent dental treatment is necessary in pregnant women, anesthesia is used extremely rarely; local anesthetics are used - lidocaine, ultracaine and others.

Anesthesia during pregnancy is dictated by necessity - life-saving interventions. If performed professionally by specialists, it does not have dangerous consequences for the body.

Attention! The information on the site is presented by specialists, but is for informational purposes only and cannot be used for independent treatment. Be sure to consult your doctor!