Occasional tooth pain from tooth that needs a root canal - is it safe to proceed with my mommy makeover?

Polite6462,
If you are at the point of needing root canal that means that you have a pretty significant tooth infection. Does your mommy makeover include a breast implant or mesh? I would be especially cautious in those situations not to let bacteria in your blood stream seed your implants causing recurrent infections and ultimately the loss of the foreign bodies. You will need to be cleared by your dentists as infection free before surgery. The mouth is full of bacteria. When the mouth is instrumented during a dental procedure such as root canal, there is transient escape of bacteria through tiny breaks in the oral mucosa into the bloodstream. This can also result in capsular contracture from biofilm on your implant. Because of this, I tell patients to have major dental work more than 3 weeks before surgery and order preventative antibiotics for dental procedures in the first year after implant placement. Dr Stein

It’s always best to address dental infections before elective surgery, because even if you don’t currently have swelling, a tooth infection can flare up unpredictably and increase your risk for complications with healing or anesthesia.
Since you’ve already been evaluated by your dentist and a root canal was recommended, I would strongly advise completing that treatment prior to your mommy makeover if at all possible. Antibiotics like doxycycline may temporarily reduce bacterial activity, but they don’t eliminate the underlying problem. The fact that you also have a swollen lymph node suggests your body is reacting to the infection.
I recommend you contact your dentist right away, explain your surgical timeline, and see if they can expedite the root canal. If not, discuss this with your plastic surgeon well in advance, sometimes it’s safest to postpone elective procedures until a dental infection is fully resolved.
Your safety always comes first, and while I know it’s disappointing to consider a delay, ensuring your body is healthy and infection-free will give you the best and safest outcome from your mommy makeover.
Warm regards,Dr. Sibel Atalay, MDBoard-Certified Plastic Surgeon

It is very important to take care of any potential infections prior to any surgery, especially breast augmentation. You do not want to place an implant with any active infection. I would error on the side of caution and take care of your root canal first.

You need to discuss this situation with your surgeon. Much will depend upon when you have the root canal done. If it is very soon then you will likely be fine to proceed with surgery. If you still have an active infection you may need to postpone your surgery. Your surgeon will advise what is recommended for you.

It seems to me that your priorities may be misaligned. I recommend you take care of your infected tooth before having cosmetic surgery.
It seems to me that should take priority insurance coverage or not.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom MD