Health

Dental Health and Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a sensitive period. It thus calls for extra care on the part of women who are undergoing the experience of a would-be mother soon. In fact, when it comes to dental health, pregnant women need to be more cautious than the rest. They need to be watchful about every aspect of their health as baby’s development depends on that. The diet should be rich in essential minerals and vitamins so that the pregnancy period is smooth.

Plus, there will a lot of misinformation about dental health which has to be evaded in order to not let their baby suffer in any possible manner. They needn’t trust every piece of information to feel confused and deteriorate their dental health in the process. It’s rather expected of them to visit the doctor, convey everything in detail and try to get the best advice. This is how pregnancy can be made a smooth experience

Pregnant women need to know a lot of things, including:

1. Let the dentist know you’re pregnant
Many women try to hide their pregnancy through the treatment which is definitely not a right thing to do. There might be some risks if your dentist did not know about your pregnancy and started medication on you. Since pregnancy limits treatment options, the dentist may come up with an entirely different treatment plan to minimize any risk whatsoever. So, you should never keep your pregnancy status a secret from the dentist ever.

2. Pregnancy keeps you at greater risk for certain oral problems
Some pregnant women take dental health not as seriously as they should. So, they don’t even visit the dentist for the entire period of nine months believing that they is no risk with the decision. Well, this is wrong since such women are at greater risk for certain oral problems. They should know how pregnancy keeps them at risks for two conditions, “pregnancy gingivitis,” “pregnancy tumors”. However, both are treatable.

3. Your pregnancy will have a direct impact on your baby’s development
Some women believe that their pregnancy has nothing to do with the oral health of their baby. They can’t be more wrong as their oral health does affect the baby. In fact, those with gum disease of either moderate or severe type are at greater risk of delivering a pre-term or low-birth weight baby. So, never take your oral health for granted during pregnancy and visit the dentist for check-ups on a regular basis.

4. Pregnant women should visit the dentist regularly
Should pregnant women visit the dentist? Of course, they should, and that too, without any worry. Pregnancy is in no way a health hazard to avoid any type of dental treatment. In fact, such women should be more diligent with their dental visit as they are at a higher risk for gum disease. If they allowed gum disease to go untreated, this might lead to problems such as pre-term of low-weight birth.

5. Calcium is important during pregnancy
If a pregnant woman lacks calcium, can you expect the baby’s dental health to be optimum? No, you should not, considering how the baby will rely on the mother to meet their mineral requirement. In fact, the bone and teeth of the baby will fully develop when there is no deficiency of key minerals during pregnancy. So, make sure your diet is rich in minerals so that the baby’s development does not suffer.

6. X-rays don’t cause birth defects
Some women believe that x-rays could harm their baby during pregnancy. So, they try to avoid it altogether in order to not let their baby impact in any manner. Research has found x-rays to be safe during pregnancy so there is no reason to feel worried. Plus, if you did fear the rays, how then would you expect the dentist to find any hidden cavity, bone loss or tooth pulp? Plus, you can always talk to the dentist and find if the treatment involving x-rays could be avoided.

7. Brush your teeth 30 minutes after vomiting
Vomiting is known to cause damage to your teeth. It actually involves gastric acid which can dissolve tooth enamel. With acid in your mouth daily, it can weaken the tooth structure and put at greater risk of decay. And if you ever followed the habit of brushing immediately after vomiting, it might cause further damage to the enamel and your overall tooth structure. Rather, rinse the mouth with water and wait for at least 30 minutes before brushing.

Contributed byhttp://lovenationaldental.com/

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