I am pregnant

I am pregnant. Is there anything different that I need to do with respect to my dental care?

Pregnancy is a time of great excitement and change. It is also a time to pay extra attention to your dental health.

You may have heard that you lose a tooth for every pregnancy, or that your developing baby will take the calcium he or she needs from your teeth. Both of these are myths; however, they point to the need for good dental care and good nutrition during pregnancy.

Tooth loss that sometimes occurs during pregnancy is most often the result of either tooth decay or gum disease. Women are more prone to both of these conditions during pregnancy for a variety of reasons.

Hormonal changes during pregnancy make the gum tissues more susceptible to inflammation and bleeding. This condition is called “pregnancy gingivitis.” While the gum tenderness and easy bleeding associated with gingivitis happens more easily during pregnancy, it is still plaque accumulation on the teeth, not the hormone changes, that is the major cause of this condition. Brushing and flossing daily are the most effective ways to remove plaque from teeth and keep tooth surfaces and gum tissues healthy.

More frequent eating patterns common among pregnant women and lack of thorough oral hygiene practices contribute to increased plaque formation and increased levels of gingivitis and tooth decay sometimes experienced during pregnancy.

There are other good reasons, beside your own dental health, to take extra care during your pregnancy. Recent research suggests that serious gum disease (periodontal disease) is linked to premature birth and low birth weight.

Additionally, it is now recognized that mothers are the most common source of transmission of decay causing bacteria to their infants. Babies are not born with the bacteria that cause decay. Instead they are “infected” sometime in their early life. We now know that mothers that have healthy mouths, free of active dental decay, are much more likely to have babies that are healthy and free from early decay, and vice versa. A decision to keep your mouth healthy and treat decay that arises during your pregnancy is also a decision to help protect your baby's oral health.

Women who are pregnant should have at least two dental cleanings during their pregnancy. However, regular dental work should be delayed until after the first trimester since the baby is forming during this period. Work can be done during the second trimester but it becomes difficult for most pregnant women to lie back for long periods of time during their third trimester.