Once they found out that there are going to welcome a new family member, future mums have a lot of things on their mind. Besides regular morning sickness, the growing belly, and the feeling of not being your old self, they must take regular and meticulous care of their health. It isn’t only crucial to take care of the general health and stamina but it is also absolutely pivotal to take care of oral health.
Believe it or not, dental care during pregnancy is extremely vital both for the mum and for the baby.
Delaying dental care and going on a necessary treatment could result in significant risk to you and your baby. Therefore, proper care and regular checkups are important. What is more, there are a few other perks connected to dental care that you can apply so that yours’ and your baby’s mouths stay clean.
1. Be consistent with regular dental care
Very often expecting mums get so overwhelmed with their state so that they forget about doing some mundane daily chores. Scientists will argue that forgetfulness is one of the pregnancy symptoms, making it a normal thing. However, if you forget to brush your teeth at least two times per day, you may have worse consequences than you are aware of.
By being consistent in your daily habits, and by brushing and flossing regularly, you will maintain a healthy mouth, avoid getting pregnancy gingivitis, and not get any tooth decay. If you accidentally skip your regular morning routine, the moment you feel ready to get up, go to the bathroom and brush your teeth.
On the other hand, you can chew gum with xylitol in order to slow down the bacteria that might pile up in between your teeth and gums. Bear in mind that this is just a quick solution.
2. Combat the morning sickness by practising oral care diligently
Morning sickness is one of the perks of being pregnant, amongst many other things, and honestly, it is a really awful way to start the day. However, there is no need to start panicking, because innumerable mums suffer from this condition during pregnancy and luckily there is a way to fight off that nasty feeling. And that is by practising regular oral care.
Frequent vomiting can erode the enamel on your teeth and nausea can pose a threat to your dental health as well. Therefore, in order to avoid any complications and problems and still keep up with regular oral care, you should do the following. By throwing up, the stomach acids are repeatedly to your tooth enamel and then you immediately after vomiting need to rinse your mouth. You can either use plain water or a mixture of baking soda water. Rinse your mouth thoroughly and then brush your teeth an hour after you have vomited.
3. Use quality and sensitive dental products
Pregnancy is a totally different state where absolutely everything changes. Your sense of smell can taste can alter completely and frequently mums-to-be cannot stand their regular toothpaste flavours. Find a toothpaste that suits your new condition and make sure that it doesn’t make you even sicker. A similar situation can happen with your toothbrush.
During pregnancy, gums can be very sensitive and even a slight scratch of a rough toothbrush can make the gums bleed. For that reason, you should find quality and sensitive toothbrush that has soft bristles with tapered tips which will enable you to gently brush your teeth and gums. If you are used to flossing after each meal and now that action is painful due to aching gums, you should consider buying sensitive dental floss as well, or even better, head out to your dentist.
If the gum bleeding doesn’t stop after you have changed your previous dental equipment, then the problem may be of some other nature. If you notice swelling, tenderness and constant bleeding gums, then it could be pregnancy gingivitis that can progress to periodontitis, so contact your dentist asap
4. Visit your dentist
The moment you have discovered that you are going to have a little bundle of joy, you have probably started seeing tons of medical professionals and specialists. From gynaecologists to midwives, little did you knew that you would need a dentist as well. When you have a baby, it can be hard to go distances to find a skilled professional, so you can always google “dentist near me” and find an expert that is close to you.
Going on a regular dental checkup is a must while you are pregnant because you need to make sure your mouth, and later your baby’s, is healthy. By visiting your dentist at least three times during pregnancy, expecting mothers can be safe that they have done everything to secure their oral health. Furthermore, if you happen to have some cavity that you haven’t dealt with before you found out that you expecting a baby, then you must fix it before the baby arrives.
Leaving the tooth decay unattended may result in much severe issue. Once you contact your dentist from Signature smiles Windsor, tell him that you are pregnant in order to receive careful and special treatment. Treatment including fillings, x-rays, and certain medications are safe during pregnancy.
5. Eat healthy and nutritious foods
Cravings are one of the negative aspects of pregnancy, however, you should be aware that too much of sugary products can be very harmful both for your overall health and dental health. It is going to be okay to indulge in few sweet delights now and then, but even then you should strive to make the healthiest choices possible.
Do your best to eat quality carbohydrates, proteins, and loads and loads of fruits and vegetables. Whole grains are also healthy for your teeth and gums as well. Next, the baby is going to take everything from you, but in order to preserve your teeth, you need to eat high calcium food. Low-fat milk and yoghurt are really nutritious.
If you eat proper foods and avoid too many sugary products, not only will you protect your teeth, but you will also provide quality nutrients for the little creature growing in your belly.
6. Snack smart
Even if it may be hard to put off snacking during pregnancy, it will give you more positive outcomes that you haven’t even been aware of. Basically, regular snacks are high in sugar and carbs like bagels, crisps, candies and gummy snacks that stick to your teeth and feed the cavity-causing germs that live in your mouth.
After eating some of those seemingly delicious snacks, germs make acid that attacks your teeth for about 20 minutes and later form a decay that ruins your teeth enamel. Avoid grazing on those carbs and snacks, and try not to drink sweetened drinks like juices or cola at all. Instead, choose light and tooth-healthy snacks.
They might not as sweet, but they are certainly far healthier. Fruits, low-fat cheese sticks, vegetable, almonds, cashews, and other nuts. Drink a lot of water, and brush your teeth after snacking.
7. Chew gum with xylitol
During pregnancy, the risk of gingivitis may be higher, so you should resort to taking any precautions you can to protect your oral health. First of all, you should stick to your regular oral hygiene routine at home at all times. Brush and floss thoroughly, particularly along the gum line in order to keep gingivitis at bay or at least reduce it.
Secondly, one interesting thing that you can do to protect your teeth during pregnancy is chewing gum with xylitol. It is a known fact that chewing sugarless or gums with xylitol reduces bacteria that cause tooth decay. If you wish to minimize your caries risk and maintain good oral health while you are pregnant, chew it four or five times a day, especially after eating.
Don’t neglect your dental care during pregnancy, on the contrary, try to maximize it. Taking meticulous oral care will help you protect your health and the health of your future child.
