Growing new life is exciting and scary. There are a lot of changes to your body that do not stop with your teeth and gums. When you are pregnant, you can experience some issues that can be taken care of with proper prenatal dental care. Our Calgary dentist can help you maintain and manage your oral health during pregnancy. Do not hesitate to reach out to us right away. We’d love to get you set up with an appointment.
How Morning Sickness Might Change Your Dental Care Routine
During pregnancy, about 70% of women will experience some degree of morning sickness. For some, morning sickness is just nausea, but a lot of people will throw up when they are pregnant, especially in the earlier months. For a smaller percentage of people, this nausea and vomiting can be severe.
When you are throwing up at a high frequency, it can actually impact the enamel of your teeth. Some women might end up needing restorative dental care when they finish their pregnancies. The reason this happens is that vomit is erosive to the enamel.
After vomiting, you might be tempted to grab your toothbrush right away. You should not do that. While the enamel has just been hit with bile, it is in a sensitive state. To minimize damage, just rinse your mouth out and then wait at least thirty minutes before you brush your teeth. Part of prenatal dental care is trying not to cause more harm to your teeth.
Prenatal Gum Disease
When you are pregnant, your gums can be more sensitive. You might experience bleeding gums, gingivitis, gum disease, etc. If you are aiming to reduce sensitivity to your gums, you can regularly rinse your mouth with salty water. To minimize bleeding, be gentle when flossing.
If the problem has progressed enough that you are very uncomfortable and things are not improving, get in to see our Calgary dentist right away.
Because your gums are more sensitive, if you had any plaque or tartar buildup before your pregnancy, it could affect your gums a lot. Some dentists urge you to come in for a checkup before beginning pregnancy so that you can avoid these uncomfortable dental issues. However, if you did not make it to the dentist before your pregnancy, make sure you make it a part of your prenatal dental care plan to see a dentist.
Pregnancy-Safe Dental Treatments
You might be concerned about receiving dental treatments during your pregnancy. You are likely avoiding a lot of things in order to grow this baby safely. If you can’t take ibuprofen, you surely need to avoid certain dental care, right?
This is mostly true, but you can still come in for some dental treatments. We will not be sedating you until after your pregnancy as it is not safe.
You can get a variety of dental work done during pregnancy. It is all about weighing the risks of the procedure against the risk of your dental condition going untreated. Often, it is riskier not to get the dental work done.
Call Our Office to Set up an Appointment Right Away
If you need to see a dentist as a part of your prenatal dental care routine, please do not hesitate to get in contact with our Calgary dentist right away to set up an appointment.