Oral Health Tips for Pregnant Women

Looking after your oral health is not only good for your own overall health. When you are pregnant, taking good care of your teeth and gums is also good for your baby’s health. Regular brushing, flossing, dentist appointments, and healthy eating remain just as important during pregnancy. 

Why Oral Health Care is Important When Pregnant

Dental issues can not only affect your oral health but your overall health too. During pregnancy, you can expect changes to your body. You could find your gums becoming sore and puffy. This can lead to bleeding gums.

This inflammation and bleeding of the gums is gingivitis, the early stages of gum disease. Gingivitis can be treated before it develops into the more serious gum disease, also called periodontal disease. Gum disease is a leading cause of tooth loss. Therefore, maintaining regular dentist appointments during pregnancy helps spot the early signs of gum disease when it is easier to treat.

You should not put off appointments or delay dental treatment when pregnant. An oral issue that leads to an infection can spread from the mouth to the rest of your body. Not only does this impact on your health, it can also impact on the health of your baby.

Therefore, if you have not visited your dentist in the previous six months before your pregnancy, book an appointment as soon as you are able. They will recommend any necessary treatment after a thorough examination.

Is Dental Care Safe During Pregnancy?

Your dentist can provide safe care throughout your pregnancy while providing advice on maintaining good oral care practices at home. When you book an appointment, let the dental clinic know you are pregnant and your due date. The information you give will help them provide the best care and information for you during your pregnancy.

You should also continue to visit your dentist every six months for a check-up. Standard dental procedures including x-rays are considered safe during pregnancy. If you need an area of the mouth numbed for a procedure like a filling, local anesthesia is also considered safe to use during a pregnancy.

Maintaining a Good Oral Care Routine

You also need to continue to look after the health of your teeth and gums at home when pregnant. You should brush your teeth at least twice every day, as well as floss daily. Finish off your daily oral health care routine by rinsing with a fluoridated, alcohol-free mouthwash.

To ensure effective brushing, look to change your toothbrush every three months or so, sooner if the bristles have begun to fray. It is important not to share your toothbrush to prevent introducing bacteria to your oral cavity.

Drinking water during the day, particularly after you have eaten, helps keep your mouth clean by dislodging and washing away food particles trapped in your teeth. Drinking water also keeps you hydrated, while drinking water with fluoride helps strengthen teeth. Fluoridated water is normally found in tap water, but can also be bought bottled.

Further Ways to Boost Your Oral Health and Your Overall Health

Eating healthily is a good way to boost your oral and overall health. Although we all like a little treat now and again, the following are foods that you should routinely include in your diet.

• fruit and vegetables
• fish
• chicken
• dairy products such as milk, cheese, and unsweetened yogurt
• whole grain items including cereals, crackers, and bread
• nuts
• beans
• eggs

A balanced nutritious diet is the aim, and there are enough healthy food choices to provide variety to your meals. If you hanker for a snack during the day, go the healthy route too. Again, fruit, vegetables, unsweetened yogurt, and cheese are healthy snack options when pregnant.

You should look to develop a habit of reading food labeling for help in healthy eating. What you are trying to reduce or eliminate from your diet is food and drink items containing high levels of sugar. These include:

• candy
• soda
• cookies
• cake
• dried fruit

A vitamin you do want to consider upping your intake of is folic acid. Ideally, you want to be consuming 600 micrograms of folic acid each day throughout your pregnancy as this can help prevent birth defects. Folic acid can be obtained through supplements, but several food items help boost your intake of this vitamin. These include:

• legumes such as beans and lentils
• asparagus
• broccoli
• spinach
• lettuce
• folic acid-fortified grain items including bread, pasta, cereal, and white rice
• oranges
• bananas
• strawberries

What we eat is always important for our health, but what we eat is also key to oral health care. Chewing mints or gum containing xylitol after you have eaten also helps reduce the bacteria in the mouth that contribute to tooth decay.

Post-Pregnancy Dental Care

Oral health care remains important following pregnancy. By maintaining a good oral care routine that includes twice daily brushing, daily flossing, regular dentist appointments and healthy eating, you reduce the risk from oral problems such as tooth decay, cavities and gum disease.

Your baby’s oral health is just as important. The basics remain the same as for the parents, in that you should keep their teeth and gums clean and ensure they eat healthily. Ideally, you should be breastfeeding for six months, at which age you can ask your pediatrician to evaluate the health of your child’s teeth and gums. 

Hopefully, there will be no issues, but if there are, they will be able to refer you to a child-friendly dentist. You should start taking your child to a dentist regardless before they are a year old.

Final Thoughts

Maintaining proper oral healthcare practices during pregnancy is good for the health of both you and your baby. When you are pregnant it can be easy to postpone appointments and get out of good habits. However, it is important to keep your teeth healthy, including regular dental appointments and eating a nutritious, balanced diet.