Straight Teeth in Less Time
Due Date Dental Concerns
Lois Murray
Your teeth could use some extra attention during your pregnancy. After all, dental health goes hand-in-hand with your general state of well-being, which is likely garnering some increased attention due to your condition. If you ignore your dental issues until after your give birth, it could make matters even worse, so read on for more information about taking care of your teeth while you are pregnant.
Blame it on the hormones.
Your hormones are in full swing now getting your body ready to nurture your baby and to ultimately give birth to it. One of those hormones, progesterone can make it more likely to experience an inflammation of the gums, called gingivitis. If you have noted some bleeding while brushing and flossing, you may have gingivitis.
Periodontal disease can quickly follow gingivitis, which is a more serious disease of the gum tissues. Unfortunately, periodontal disease comes with a serious side effect: the increased risk for giving birth to a low-weight baby as well as the danger of preterm birth. A study found that periodontal disease can cause an increase in prostaglandins, hormones that play a major role in stimulating uterine contractions. More extensive cleaning procedures, such as a scaling, may be called for to keep the risk of this disease as low as possible.
Damage to tooth enamel.
Morning sickness that causes extensive vomiting can weaken your tooth enamel. You may notice extra sensitivity when drinking hot or cold liquids. If you had a lot of morning sickness, your dentist will check your teeth to look for small cracks that could turn into a broken tooth or cavity. This situation should rectify itself in time, but meanwhile you may be advised by your dentist to avoid hard foods and candy.
Dental Procedures to avoid.
Be sure to inform your dentist of your pregnancy as soon as your next visit. Certain more serious procedures that may require general anesthesia, like wisdom tooth removal or root canal surgery, should be postponed if possible. Be especially mindful of any prescribed medications, like the antibiotic tetracycline, which can damage your baby's teeth in utero. Dental x-rays may be safe, but you may want to put them off if possible.
Serious infections, such as a dental abscess, should not be put off since the treatment, which involves antibiotics, should be safe and far outweighs the potential danger of a widespread infection caused by an abscess.
Planning ahead is the best course of action, so see your dentist and get any work done ahead of your pregnancy. Step up your dental hygiene habits to keep your teeth healthy and safe during pregnancy. Contact a local dentist, such as Hughes Thomas R, for further assistance.
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I had braces when I was a kid. Back then, you had to wear those metal wires and rubber bands for what seemed like forever. When I saw that my child’s teeth were going to be crooked like mine, I was dreading the years of braces and orthodontist appointments and limited diets that I saw stretching ahead of us. I was pleased to find out that braces today are very different from braces when I was a kid. They don’t need to be worn for nearly as long, and they aren’t as intrusive, either. My daughter got braces that can barely be seen, and she can remove them when she eats, so she doesn’t have to give up her favorite foods. I was so impressed that I started a blog to talk about modern day tooth straightening techniques. Braces have come a long way.