Family Dentistry – Pregnant Women: Pregnancy has several effects on the oral cavity. There is the morning sickness, increase in food intake, and an increase in blood flow to the gums. These health conditions impact on the oral cavity in different ways. Dental Essence offers family-friendly dental services specifically to meet the needs of pregnant women, helping them to maintain optimal oral health.
Morning sickness is more common in the first trimester when the organs of the fetus are forming. General nausea and vomiting is present more often in the morning but can occur all day long. Nausea can turn into vomiting especially if you are trying to clean your back teeth. Vomit contains some strong acids that can damage the dentition. Straight after vomiting, it is advisable to rinse your mouth out and if possible to brush your teeth to get rid of the acids and debris that is inside your mouth.
Pregnancy will most likely result in increased snacking. Most cravings and snacks will contain carbohydrates of some form. Every time you place carbohydrates into your mouth you are creating an acid attack within 5 minutes, with these attacks lasting up to 45 minutes in duration. The carbohydrates are converted into lactic acids by bacteria. As a result of the more frequent snacking, tooth minerals are lost from the acid damage, and over time a cavity can result.
The increase in blood flow to the mouth is caused by hormones. It results in more bleeding of the gums. Once the baby is born the hormone levels return back to normal and the gums bleed less.
Before any procedure, we will inform you of the risks by way of written informed consent documentation. Individual results may vary.