Common Dental Issues During Pregnancy & How to Deal With Them

Pregnancy brings with it a lot of rewards and challenges. It also brings with it a lot of advice from family and friends, whether you’ve asked for it or not.

One thing you may hear from the people you know is that pregnancy will cause your teeth to fall out. While pregnancy doesn’t directly cause tooth loss, people who are pregnant should pay special attention to their health, and that includes following a regular oral health routine and visiting a dentist.

Here are a few common dental issues you should be aware of during your pregnancy.

Enamel Damage Due to Vomiting

It’s an unfortunate truth that some pregnancies involve more vomiting than we would probably like. While this is not typically a severe problem, excessive vomiting can become harmful to your teeth. Stomach acids are very strong, and vomiting too much can harm your enamel. Be sure to brush your teeth regularly if you are vomiting during pregnancy and let your dentist know that it’s a concern.

Loose Teeth

There aren’t any studies that have proven any relationship between pregnancy and tooth loss assuming you have good oral health before pregnancy. That being said, pregnancy does affect the production of estrogen in women. Estrogen can, in some cases, affect women’s bones and teeth. With proper diet and care, this shouldn’t affect your teeth. You should still tell your dentist if you are pregnant in case there are any potential complications you should know about when it comes to oral health.

Gingivitis, Cavities, and Oral Lesions

Gingivitis, cavities and oral lesions can happen to anyone, pregnant or otherwise. While there is little evidence of any direct causal relationship between pregnancy and any of these common oral health issues, some studies do indicate that people who do get them experience them more severely while pregnant. People who are pregnant should maintain a healthy diet that only includes sparing consumption of sweet and starchy foods. Of course, people who are pregnant should also continue their regular brushing and flossing routines.

Request an appointment to discuss these and other issues with a general dentist.