Acidity in Pregnancy Can Trigger Need for Dental Work
Changes in the mother’s body can trigger the need for dental work during or soon after pregnancy. Although pregnancy is a common experience amongst women, no other will be quite like your pregnancy. Your pregnancy will come with its specific joys, challenges, adjustments, and bodily changes. On your list of most important people to walk with through the pregnancy is your dentist. At the earliest, make routine appointments at the dental office and do not miss them.
Cravings May Shift Your Body’s Natural pH Level
A visit to a dentist early in your pregnancy can help avert problems with your teeth later in life or sooner in the course of your pregnancy. The value of your dentist at this time may not be immediately apparent. Common changes your body may go through could affect your dental health. In an effort to try and maintain all the nutrition the fetus needs to grow into a healthy baby, nature ignites cravings in the mother for certain foods that are rich in the required nutrition.
The body’s hormonal balance also shifts to accommodate the growing child. Both of these changes may increase the body’s natural acidity levels. A highly acidic environment will affect your teeth because tooth enamel erodes in acid. Therefore, you may find that in pregnancy your teeth start to become unusually sensitive when you chew or when you bite on something hard. This could be a new experience and one that could cause trouble in later years.
Tooth Cavities May Signal Other Potential Health Challenges
Your dentist will help you understand what changes you can make in your diet and in your daily routine to quell the onslaught of full blown and painful cavities before tooth decay sets in. Preventing major dental work in pregnancy is the most important thing to seek during pregnancy. Doctors avoid any major medical procedures during pregnancy. In the case of tooth decay and extractions, antibiotics to protect the mother from further infections is mandatory. Antibiotics may harm the growing child and rather than be sorry, dentist prefer to be safe.
In treating the patient too, a dentist may require an x-ray performed before diagnosing a toothache. Meanwhile, an x-ray is highly discouraged for pregnant women. Routine checks with your dentist can avert all such problems before they become conditions requiring medical procedures such as x-rays or extractions that could harm your unborn child.
Vomiting and Nausea Can Trigger Tooth Problems
Dentists and other medics believe periodontal gum disease is among the causatives of premature births. However, periodontal disease or gum disease is highly preventable even during pregnancy. The mother must maintain a regular brushing and flossing during this time. During routine visits the dentist will advice on ways to avert the urge to vomit if you are prone to nausea and vomiting.
The high acidity in the mouth may cause damage to teeth and the dentist will be concerned to help reduce the nausea. The dentist will recommend toothpastes and tooth gels that are not as nauseating to your sensitive system and help reduce the possibility of vomiting even when you are nauseous. It is important to avert the vomiting to help reduce the amount of acid in your mouth.