While carrying a pregnancy to full term, the most important aspect to pay attention to during the entire duration is the health of both yourself and your unborn child. While much has been made about the importance of diet, exercise, and abstaining from alcohol, maintaining proper dental hygiene is just as important and a necessity for the healthy development of the fetus.
How Does Dental Health Affect Pregnancy?
During the period of time in which you’re carrying a fetus to full term, your body is susceptible to many oral health issues. Making sure your teeth are properly taken care of is a basic fundamental of prenatal health care.
- During pregnancy, your body produces a large number of hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. These can produce a risk of contracting several oral issues with your teeth and gums.
- Because your eating habits dramatically increase, this provides more opportunities for your teeth and gums to be damaged and develop bacteria. Taking care of both becomes all too important.
- Repeated and excessive vomiting during morning sickness can have a substantial effect on tooth enamel and even cause erosion. It’s very important that if you have bouts of morning sickness brush, floss, and rinse thoroughly afterward to prevent damage.
- Pregnancy tumors, better known as pyogenic granuloma can develop between the teeth. While not cancerous, they can bleed easily, and therefore, it’s important that you do your best to remove plaque from the tooth and gum line.
How Can You Prevent Dental Problems During Pregnancy?
Aside from your daily regime of brushing and flossing, it’s important to tell your dentist if you’re pregnant or planning a pregnancy in the foreseeable future.
- Talk to your dentist about any supplements or medications you’re currently taking. These can possibly affect your oral health.
- Have X-Rays taken during your pregnancy. These can allow your dentist to see if there are any mitigating factors that are affecting your oral health. While X-Rays are done with small doses of radiation, they’re safe to get during pregnancy.
- Talk to your dentist and pediatrician about any preexisting health issues or conditions that you have.
- Eat healthy foods and limit sweets. Your dietary regime will change greatly during pregnancy, try to focus on healthier choices and limit the number of unhealthy additives and sweets. If you’re unsure of what you should be eating during your pregnancy, talk to a pediatrician or nutritionist.
The Offices of Dr. Marshall S Skopp DMD
Whether you’re pregnant, planning, or simply in need of the best dental care in the Staten Island Area, the offices of Dr. Marshall S Skopp DMD are the best choice for sustaining your oral health. For appointments and a list of all the services, we have to offer, visit us online at drskopp.com.