Would it be safe to take a acetominophen/codeine pill before having my teeth cleaned to reduce pain
health advisory
Hospital
Dentists Yu
2007-11-11 18:18:59
Answer:
why would u need to take a pain pill b4 having ur teeth cleaned?????? it doesnt even hurt!!
how about just the acetominophen, or tylenol or advil....dont think you need the codeine, you wont be able to drive...
Whoa - teeth cleaning is normally painless. I never took anything for it. Maybe your hygienist is a little rough? There are gentler ones!
Just be a trooper, it doesnt hurt....
it would probably be fine as long as you don't drive. the codeine in it will make you very tired so it would be very dangerous to drive.
no
acetominophen thins the blood and you would bleed more
It would be "safe" as long as you have a driver or know your own reaction to the med, but you would make out better taking ibuprofen 400-600 mg. This will reduce the inflammatory response to the cleaning and it will keep you comfortable longer. I know this from experience with my patients. I recommend this prior to wisdom tooth extractions routinely.
Acetaminophen will increase bleeding times, true, but taking one pill will have zero effect on the bleeding time. This is only a problem with long-term use.
My dentist actually recommended it to me. Well, not codeine pills, but she said that if I take Tylenol or Advil before coming to the dentist, the dental work might hurt a little less.
It would be safe, altho I'd agree with an above post that Nurofen (ibuprofen) is a better anti-inflammatory painkiller.
However, in scaling it's going to be the tooth sensitivity (not extraction pain) that'll hurt most. It might be better to smear Sensodyne on your teeth before going to bed, and let it dissipate during the night. One of my staff uses her bleaching mouthguard with Sensodyne in this manner the night before she tops up her bleaching.
My ex mother in law used to have to take medication prescribed by the dentist before teeth cleanings because it was so painful. She had some kind of gum problem. As the dentist. He may call in a RX for you. BUT make sure you have someone to drive you to your appointment.