Pregnant? Follow These Tips For Better Oral Health

Dentist Blog

A woman's body goes through many changes while pregnant. While the main focus is on the growing baby on the inside, there are other areas of the body that are going through changes of their own. Oral health is one thing to be more concerned about while pregnant. Higher progesterone levels and morning sickness can cause you to have more oral health problems that you may not be thinking about. These tips will help ensure that you have better oral health while pregnant.

Dealing With Morning Sickness

Morning sickness is a part of pregnancy that can make you feel quite miserable. You'll have frequent feelings of nausea and potential vomiting. When you happen to be experiencing the latter, you should be taking additional care when it comes to your oral health.

Vomiting can cause the stomach acids to cover your teeth, which will lead to wearing down the enamel and tooth decay. That enamel is essential to protect your teeth from cavities. You'll want to immediately use water to rinse out your mouth and brush once you feel the vomiting is over.

Rinsing and waiting is important to keeping your teeth healthy after vomiting. Brushing too soon can actually cause more damage to your teeth since the acids will be abrasive when scrubbed into your teeth.

Dealing With Higher Progesterone Levels

A pregnant woman will have higher than usual progesterone levels, which is a hormone designed to help the body maintain the pregnancy. The side effect when it comes to oral health is a higher chance of getting gum disease due to bacterial growth inside your mouth.

The problem is due to bacteria settling under the gums, which leads to deterioration and tooth loss. You should be using a mouth rinse everyday that removes the harmful bacteria before it has the chance to settle. You should also continue to go to your semi-annual dental checkups throughout your pregnancy. A dentist will look for signs of gum disease and help you deal with it before it gets worse.

Keeping your mouth healthy is just as important as keeping the rest of your body healthy. You do not want to run into a situation where you have a major dental problem late in your pregnancy, so it is best to stay on top of oral care early. Needing to get a major dental procedure done in the third trimester could put a lot stress on you and your baby.

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24 August 2017

Mouth Rinses Are Not Just for Bad Breath

I have always brushed and flossed my teeth daily, but I still had the occasional cavity when I visited the dentist for a check-up. He told me it was normal to have a cavity on occasion and that I shouldn't let it stress me out too much. Well, I am not one to just accept any problem I am having, so I started looking into how to improve my oral hygiene even more. I had always thought mouthwash was just to improve your breath, but I found some that said they helped keep cavities away. I started using one every day before bed. I haven't had a cavity in two years now, and I think the mouth rinse is the reason! I created this blog to remind other people that even if they brush and floss regularly, they can always find ways to take even better care of their teeth.