01 Jun 2022 Pregnancy is no doubt an event to celebrate. However, some aspects may cause pregnancy time to be a little awkward. Your dental health can be the cause of worry before, during, and after pregnancy.
Do you need special dental care during this time? The answer is – yes, you do. Pregnancy is a sensitive time and you need to be careful about your overall health if you want to keep serious ailments away from you. If you think that dental health does not need your special attention during this time, you are mistaken. There is a close connection between your dental health and the birth of your baby. Gum disease and premature baby birth are closely connected and due to this reason, you need to start working on your dental health right after you start planning for a baby. Before speaking about dental health care before and after pregnancy, let’s have a look at the causes of dental problems at the time of pregnancy.
Causes of Dental Problems at the Time of Pregnancy
Gum problem is probably the most serious dental problem which occurs during pregnancy. The key cause of gum problems during pregnancy is the discharge of pregnancy hormones. Gum swelling and bleeding are common signs of gum infection during pregnancy. The bleeding mostly occurs at the time of brushing. In addition, women suffer from ligament, gum, and bone infection when they are pregnant. These lead to tooth loss if left untended.
In case, you notice gum-related problems during pregnancy, you should get in touch with a dentist for medical consultation.
Vomiting often affects dental health seriously by covering teeth with stomach acid. This acid can damage the teeth’ surface and lead to serious tooth decay. In addition, sugary food craving during pregnancy leads to tooth decay a lot of time.
Dental Care before Pregnancy
Therefore, you can understand that the time to start with your dental care is before you get pregnant and not during pregnancy when dental problems are likely to arise. If you develop a dental care routine to look after your dental health, you will be able to avoid experiencing serious dental problems.
- Brushing Your Teeth
You must have a routine brushing session before your pregnancy. Brushing teeth twice a day keeps a lot of problems away. It also ensures improved gum health. However, you need to use a brush with soft bristles to brush your teeth. In addition, you need to consult your dentist, if you are not sure which toothpaste to use to take care of your dental health before pregnancy.
- Flossing
Brushing alone does not take care of overall dental health. To ensure strong teeth, you need to floss your teeth at least once a day. Daily flossing reduces bacteria growth between teeth. It can reduce cavity developing germs as well. If you are prone to gum disease and worry whether the problem increase during pregnancy, then flossing is going to be your best dental care solution. Flossing improves gum health.
- Healthy Diet
A healthy diet is another necessary dental care that you need to include in your daily dental care routine. If you want to improve your dental health, you need to reduce food and drink with high sugar levels.
- Avoiding Smoking & Drinking
If you want to prevent pregnancy time dental problems, you need to reduce smoking and drinking completely before pregnancy.
- Milk, Yogurt, & Cheese
Calcium works like a wonder when it comes to protecting dental health. Therefore, to ensure improved teeth health, you need to incorporate food loaded with calcium. Milk, cheese, and sugar-free yogurt are the best sources of calcium that you can intake to keep your teeth healthy.
- Healthy Snacking
A slight change in the snacking habit can improve your dental health. Nuts like almonds come with a lot of health benefits that do not only improve your overall health, these keep your teeth healthy as well.
- Fatty Fish Diet
If you want healthy teeth, you cannot ignore your diet. Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and herring can supply the required health benefits which improve dental health.
- Eggs
Eggs come with multiple nutritional benefits which improve overall health. Therefore, to keep your teeth healthy by consuming vitamin D, incorporate eggs into your daily diet.
- Vitamin Intake
You should not forget your vitamin consumption if you want to keep your teeth healthy during and after pregnancy.
- Visit Your Dentist
This is probably the most important dental care tip that one can give you. Visit your dentist regularly to protect your dental health.
Dental Care after Pregnancy
It is important to take care of your teeth after the birth of your baby. You need a special dental care routine to ensure good dental health. Given below is a list of after-pregnancy dental care.
- Routine Dental Check-Up
Nothing beats the importance of routine dental check-ups. If you ignore routine dental check-ups, you will end up inviting a lot of dental problems. To prevent future dental problems be sure to visit your dentist regularly. However, before you visit your dentist, do consult your doctor to find out whether there is any medical restrictions or special dental instruction for you to follow.
- Discuss Your Dental Issues
Did you experience any dental problems during your pregnancy? If yes, you need to speak to your dentist about the issues you have experienced. It will help your dentist to come up with fitting solutions.
- Don’t Forget Your Dental Check-Up
Just because the pregnancy time dental issues are over, you should not start skipping your dental check-up. If you make it a habit to visit your dentist regularly even after your pregnancy, you will be able to avoid a lot of dental-related problems.
- Pay Attention To Your Gum
Your gum needs special attention. It is because gums go through a lot of serious problems during pregnancy. Some of these problems may linger for a longer time. Therefore, if you find tenderness around your gum area or slight bleeding, be sure to report it to your dentist immediately.
- Develop A Good Oral Health Habit
Nothing will improve your oral health better than a good oral health habit. Brushing teeth twice daily is important even after your pregnancy. In addition, you need to continue with your flossing routine. Moreover, be sure to use a good quality antimicrobial mouth wash after brushing your teeth. It will ensure good oral health.
- Ask For Medicated Toothpaste
If pregnancy time vomiting has affected your dental health, you should ask your dentist to recommend a good quality medicated toothpaste. It will help kill bacteria, and teeth damaging germs.
- Avoid Snacks Containing Sugar
If you want to maintain your dental health, you need to avoid snacks containing high sugar levels. Even though sweet treats give a feel-good feeling, these snacks lead to tooth decay easily.
- Stick To A Balanced Diet
You need to stick to your diet plan even after your pregnancy. Be sure to eat meals containing dairy products like cheese, milk, and yogurt.
- Don’t Ignore Vitamins
Even after your pregnancy, you should pay attention to your vitamin intake. Try to incorporate foods loaded with multiple vitamins, if you don’t want to continue with your medication. However, it will be wise to consult a doctor.
- Be Mindful of Your Overall Dental Health
From bad breath to loose teeth, you need to pay attention to them all. If you find anything out of ordinary, you should consult with your dentist to avoid any serious problems.