Dental Problems Faced by Pregnant Women

Dental Problems Faced by Pregnant Women and How to Prevent Them

It hardly seems fair but you can add dental problems to your growing list of things you should be concerned about during pregnancy. Your body is changing as it moves to accommodate the growing life inside of you. This inevitably affects the health of your mouth and teeth.

It is especially important, now more than ever, that you continue to see your dentist after you have become pregnant. This way you can stave off any complications that may arise due to the failing health of your teeth. You may also be able to prevent a lot of the diseases before they happen.

Gum Disease Pregnant women are especially prone to developing gum disease. If you already suffer from gingivitis, it may be exacerbated by the pregnancy. The increase in the hormone progesterone during pregnancy causes the bacteria in the mouth to proliferate. This is what leads to the gingivitis. Therefore, it is important to brush your teeth well, twice a day. You should also follow this up with flossing to get rid of all the plaque, and begin using an antibacterial mouthwash to ensure that no infection takes place.

It has been noted that some correlation has been found with gum disease and premature births. And research has shown that women with gingivitis may be more likely to give birth earlier than expected. The babies of mothers with gum disease also tend to weigh significantly less.

Pregnancy Tumors Despite the foreboding name, pregnancy tumors are not actually dangerous to the mother or the child. They are usually more of an inconvenience. These are growths in the mouth that occur due to the fluctuations in hormones. The growths tend to increase quickly in size due to an excess of blood flow into the lesions. Although benign, they may bleed a lot but this is not anything to worry about as it is harmless. Due to this, they are usually best left alone unless they begin to cause difficulty with eating, drinking, or talking. A dentist will usually cauterize the growth to ensure that it will not grow back.

Tooth Decay

The joys of morning sickness do not end with the nausea. There is considerable acid in your stomach and when you throw up, your teeth are coated in this acid. Frequent exposure to this acid can cause your teeth to decay. A cure for morning sickness has yet to be discovered so you must contend yourself with treating the acid reflux. It is important that you do not brush your teeth right after you throw up. You will merely be further working the acid into your teeth. You can, however, rinse out your mouth really well after vomiting. You should also apply some fluoride toothpaste to your teeth to ward off decay.

It is important you take care of your health, even your dental health when you are pregnant. You need to be healthy to allow your baby to develop in a healthy and protected manner. It may be easy to overlook the importance of dental hygiene but now, more than ever, you should pay close attention.