Dental care is an equally important part of health care as every other, especially during pregnancy. However, many women are unaware of the impact that poor oral care can leave on pregnancy. For this reason, Dental Implants Harrisburg NC professionals have devoted today’s article to this important subject. In further text, you will be able to discover the actual consequences that poor oral care can leave to pregnancy and how to take care of your oral health during pregnancy. Additionally, we shall disclose some of the most common doubts and misconceptions regarding dental care during pregnancy.
Ways that poor dental hygiene can affect pregnancy
Pregnant women are more prone to developing gum cavities and gum diseases than when they are not pregnant. Gingivitis is considered an early stage of periodontal disease, and pregnant women are at a greater risk of periodontitis. This occurs due to hormonal changes during pregnancy that facilitate the risks of inflammations.
Severely neglected oral health with significant manifestations can have serious consequences such might be premature delivery, low baby weight at birth, pre-eclampsia, ulcerations of gingival tissue, pregnancy granuloma, epulis gravidarum (a type of pregnancy tumor), dental erosion and loose teeth. Therefore, taking care of dental hygiene during pregnancy is important for your overall health and the health of your baby.
Is dental work safe during pregnancy?
There are many doubts that women have regarding dental work during pregnancy. The most common considerations refer to X-rays, dental fillings, and medications.
X-ray is often a necessary part of dentist visitations, especially in case of emergency. X-ray examination provides a dentist with an inside view and the occurrences they can not perceive with a bare eye. This way, your dentist can perceive changes and processes in jaw bones and teeth roots. However, many pregnant women are considered about the radiation that occurs during an X-ray. American College of Radiology stands that the amount of radiation released during a dental x-ray is not significant enough to affect embryos or fetuses. Also, ADA and ACOG claim that an x-ray with proper shielding is safe during pregnancy.
Most dentists will avoid x-ray procedures if not necessary and postpone them until after the birth. Additionally, you can postpone the x-ray until the second trimester of pregnancy, as the first trimester is considered the most vulnerable time of fetus development.
Medications are usually in a shady zone when it comes to pregnancy. This also applies to medications that are commonly used in dental procedures, so the opinions are conflicted.
Most dental procedures are preceded by anesthesia and the most common anesthetic in dental practice is Lidocaine. Lidocaine is labeled in category B for safety in pregnancy, however, the research proves that lidocaine crosses the placenta after administration. For this reason, it’s recommended to use this medication in the least necessary doses possible.
Dental procedures often require antibiotics after work. The most frequent antibiotics in dental practice are penicillin, clindamycin, and amoxicillin. These antibiotics are also considered safe during pregnancy and are labeled with category B of safety.
Dental fillings are necessary for treating a cavity. Treating a cavity is considered safe at any time of pregnancy but for the risk of nausea in the first and second trimesters, most women postpone cavity treatment for the last trimester. Dental fillings can contain mercury (silver fillings and amalgam) or can be mercury-free. From a point of pregnancy, fillings that contain mercury are considered unsafe for both the pregnant woman and the baby. Amalgam is filling that contains different substances, metals, chemicals, and mercury that provides dental filling with a shiny metallic color. Mercury is a toxic metal that can be trespassed by a mother to a baby through the placenta and breast milk. Mercury can cause various diseases such as brain and kidney diseases and affects other organs as well. Exposure to mercury during pregnancy can also cause pre-eclampsia, miscarriage, and low baby birth weight.
According to FDA, women that plan a pregnancy, are pregnant or breastfeeding are not recommended to have a silver filling. Additionally, FDA doesn`t recommend removing already placed mercury filling during pregnancy.
What dental care during pregnancy consider
Dental care during a pregnancy considers regular dentist visitations and checkups. Oral hygiene should be the same if not even better as when not pregnant which implements brushing teeth with fluoride toothpaste twice a day and flossing at least once a day. If you are prone to vomiting during pregnancy and unable to brush your teeth, it’s recommended to use mouthwash to eject food particles and reduce the acidity in your mouth. When choosing a mouthwash opt for ones that are safe to use in pregnancy or make your pregnancy-safe mouthwash by mixing one tablespoon of baking soda and one cup of water.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, we have revealed common questions regarding dental care during pregnancy and made it clear why oral hygiene is particularly important during pregnancy. Regular dental checks during pregnancy and good oral hygiene are the only ways to avoid further complications and health issues.
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