Being an up-and-coming mom means all sorts of sacrifices. During this time, pregnant mothers can focus on perfecting everything for their children so that their health can be ignored. However, mothers who care for themselves also take care of their unborn babies.
By visiting your dentist, you can assess your current oral health and develop a dental treatment plan for the rest of your pregnancy. Taking care of your teeth and gums can make a difference to your baby both prenatally and postnatal.
Contributors to worsening tooth and gum health:
● It is common for pregnant women to have poor dental and gum health during pregnancy. To make it easier to understand, here are some things that can cause problems.
● Everyone is tired at the end of the day, but adding pregnancy leads to a whole new fatigue level. As a result, you can skip regular night brushing and flossing in addition to regular dental visits. This can lead to plaque and bacterial buildup, and ultimately tooth rot.
● Hormonal changes during pregnancy can jeopardize the health of the mother’s gums and can cause pregnancy periodontitis, an inflamed gum that bleeds due to inflammation. And yes, if you were wondering, it’s as disgusting as it sounds. Untreated gum inflammation can cause periodontitis, a more serious form of gum disease, including loss of bone mass. Studies also suggest a link between preterm birth, low birth weight babies, and periodontitis.
● Morning illness can affect the mouth. Gastric acid can reach the mouth and weaken the teeth’ enamel, increasing the risk of cavities in pregnant women.
● It is common to eat more often during pregnancy, but frequent light meals and grazing keep your teeth in constant contact with the acids in your food.
This also leads to increased acid-loving bacteria such as Streptococcus mutants, which produce more acid to weaken the enamel.
● Pregnant mothers need prenatal vitamins, including folic acid, to support their babies’ health during pregnancy. When choosing vitamins, avoid chewable or gum-like vitamins, especially if taken after brushing your teeth or before bedtime. They stick to your teeth, and most contain sugar that can hurt your teeth. A Pregnancy Oral Health specialist can help you in treating your oral health.
How can mom’s mouth health are traced to a baby’s health:
The health of the mother’s mouth is related to the fetus’s health, all of which can be traced back to the bacteria in her mouth.
When pregnant women have an overgrowth of bacteria in their mouth, they can enter the bloodstream through the gums, move to the uterus, and cause the production of a chemical called prostaglandins suspected of inducing preterm birth.
When the baby arrives, the mother can pass the bacteria to the newborn (called vertical transmission). Therefore, a mother who has many acid-loving bacteria in her mouth will pass many of those bacteria to her newborn.
Brushing your teeth can reduce the risk of complications during pregnancy.
Pregnant women who brush their teeth thoroughly can take steps to reduce the risk of dangerous complications during pregnancy and reduce the risk of future tooth infections in newborn babies. Brush with fluoride toothpaste at least twice daily, preferably after each meal. You also need to floss daily. Pregnancy Oral Health specialist is the best way to treat your oral health during pregnancy.
Sensitive and balanced foods containing calcium and limited excess acid and sugar are ideal for oral health for you and your baby. More frequent cleaning by the dentist will also help control plaque and prevent gum inflammation.
Mothers with poor oral health are more likely to pass aggressive and harmful bacteria to the newborn and may cause problems in the future (2-year-olds who need to have a complete cavity) Please think about). Therefore, while eating the right food, avoiding the wrong food (candy, cookies, other sticky foods, etc.), and making all sorts of sacrifices to perfect the baby, mothers prioritize oral health. Also, be sure to consult your dental care provider for regular examinations.
Dental care during pregnancy
● If you are pregnant, tell your dentist (and your doctor). Routine dental treatment can be done at any time during pregnancy. Urgent procedures are also possible. However, all selective dental treatments should be postponed until after childbirth. Before seeing your dentist, check with your obstetrician for any special precautions or instructions.
● Tell your dentist the names and dosages of all the medicines you are taking, including medicines prescribed by your doctor and prenatal vitamins, and the specific medical advice your doctor has given you.
● Dental x-rays can be done during pregnancy. Your dentist will take great care, such as protecting your abdomen and thyroid gland to protect you and your baby. Advances in technology have made X-rays much safer than in decades.
● Do not skip dental examinations just because you are pregnant. Regular periodontal (gum) tests are now very important at all times, as pregnancy causes hormonal changes and increases the risk of periodontal disease, sensitive gums that are prone to bleeding, and a condition called pregnancy gingival inflammation. Pay particular attention to changes in the gums during pregnancy. If you experience tenderness, bleeding, or swelling of your gums at any time during pregnancy, consult your dentist or periodontologist as soon as possible.
Pregnancy and periodontal disease
About 60-75% of pregnant women have periodontitis. Gingivitis is an early stage of periodontal disease that occurs when the gums become red and swollen due to inflammation exacerbated by hormonal changes during pregnancy.
1. If periodontitis is not treated, the bones that support the teeth are lost, and the gums can become infected. Teeth with little bone support can loosen and must eventually be removed. Periodontitis is also associated with poor pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth and low birth weight
2. However, how periodontitis adversely affects pregnancy outcomes is not yet fully understood.
● A pregnant woman brushes her teeth
● A mother’s oral health is a powerful predictor of a child’s oral health.
● Pregnancy and tooth rot
● Pregnant women may also be at risk of cavities due to behavioral changes such as eating habits.
3. Women who are high in bacteria that cause tooth rot during pregnancy and after childbirth can transfer these bacteria from mouth to mouth.
4. Early contact with these bacteria and other sugars, such as frequent snacks and laying bottles down, can cause cavities in early childhood and require extensive dental treatment at an early age.
5. Children of mothers with high levels of untreated cavities or tooth loss are more than three times more likely to have cavities in childhood
6. Children with poor oral health are almost three times more likely to be absent from school due to toothache.
Holistic Dental Melbourne CBD is one of the best places to get the best Pregnancy Oral Health