During pregnancy, a woman needs to look after herself very well and be extremely careful about many things. Whatever she does have a direct and immediate impact and effect on the unborn baby. You need to eat fresh food, avoid certain foods, not eat raw veggies, and keep your teeth clean and so on. The body undergoes changes that one cannot even imagine and believe. Hence it becomes imperative that regular check-ups are attended to and utmost care and precautions are taken too. You have to visit the gynecologist every week for your health check-up, and similarly, for your dental hygiene, you need to consult with the dentist every month during pregnancy. During your pregnancy, most of the medicines are strictly prohibited by your doctor and you need to maintain your teeth in a normal way. So a dentist can prescribe you the proper medicine to prevent dental infections during this period.
How would you maintain your dental hygiene during pregnancy?
One such regime that needs to be adhered to is oral hygiene. It sounds strange but it is true that due to change in hormones during pregnancy the dental health is affected. Therefore, good care and attention must be given to the gums and teeth which if not done might lead to diseases and have a negative influence on the baby too.
- You should visit the dentist regularly to ensure the dental set-up is fine. They will check up your dental health, and they will remove the infected area from your pulp and root canal.
- When you visit the dentist, do mention to him or her that you are pregnant so they know what they can do and cannot. For example, you cannot have x-rays done at any cost when pregnant. However, if the problem is so acute that if left untreated would have an impact on the mother and baby, the dentist will figure out a way to treat it.
- In case you are already having some medicine for an ailment, you must let the dentist know so that he would then know what effect the medicine might have on dental health and work accordingly. You need to produce all your prescriptions to the dentist to know the exact reason for your dental problems.
- The normal routine of brushing twice a day must be necessarily followed during pregnancy and if you feel you are unable to brush due to the problem of morning sickness, it is recommended to visit the dentist.
- Sweets and sugary foods must be avoided at all costs. It is understandable that during pregnancy one has cravings that need to be satisfied. It is okay to have once in a while but not regularly. Sugar harms your teeth and slowly causes decaying and you definitely do not want that during this time especially.
- What you eat goes to the baby and therefore there is so much stress and emphasis on eating right. Foods help develop a baby while in the womb and this includes the teeth. The baby’s gums and teeth start forming after the first trimester and so to give the baby a strong dental structure include dairy products in your diet.
The reason for following the above-mentioned factors is that during pregnancy the flow of blood in the body increases by up to fifty percent and this causes gums to become tender and may also bleed when you brush. It is also not uncommon to see some women experience a growth in their gums at this stage. It is not dangerous or malignant and usually goes away after delivery. Hence the dentist will always tell you to make sure proper dental hygiene is followed.