Oral Care Tips During Pregnancy

Almost fifty percent of expectant mothers experience red, swollen, tender gums that often bleed when brushed or flossed. Oral care assumes a lot of importance during pregnancy. Taking care of your mouth while pregnant is important for you and your baby.Hormonal imbalance can wreak havoc on your dental health, since you may fail to consider it during pregnancy. Lack of dental awareness can result in serious consequences such as increased bacterial accumulation, tooth decay, gum disease (swollen, red, sore, bleeding gums), and eventually end up in tooth loss.

Toothaches During Pregnancy

During your journey of pregnancy, you may experience a multitude of uncomfortable symptoms like morning sickness, abdominal cramping, or edema (swelling). However, toothache can also be one of the most annoying experiences during pregnancy. Toothache can have several causes that have been listed below:-

Lack of Dental Hygiene

Poor oral hygiene can deteriorate your oral health and cause symptoms like toothache due to increased plaque accumulation. This releases harmful toxins, acids, and by-products that erode the enamel layer of the tooth surface. Prolonged tooth infection can spread to the pulp (innermost layer with blood vessels and nerve endings) causing intense tooth pain.

Hormonal Imbalance

Increased hormonal fluctuations of progesterone and estrogen in your body during pregnancy can impair your body’s defense mechanism to fight tooth infection [2]. This results in chronic toothache. This imbalance can also favor an increased plaque (a thin, sticky biofilm) accumulation, further increasing infection and toothache.

Diet Changes

Pregnancy brings with it food cravings! Yes, you may notice yourself craving certain foods. Toothache can be a result of excess intake of sugary foods and drinks leading to cavities [3]. Untreated decay can result in toothache and increased sensitivity.

Dental Decay

Tooth decay or caries is a common oral problem that is often ignored. This can deepen the cavities involving the pulp resulting in toothache.

Gum Disease (Pregnancy Gingivitis)

Gum disease is a progressive destruction of the supporting structures (periodontium comprising of the cementum, gingiva, periodontal ligament, and alveolar bone) that may involve the bone [4]. Untreated cases can lead to gum recession and exposed tooth roots. This often manifests as toothache and sensitivity. An increase in the blood volume may also be attributed to gum disease and toothache. Gum disease can pose a great risk during pregnancy resulting in preterm labor [2].

Impacted Molars

Also known as wisdom teeth, these are the last permanent teeth to erupt. They often do not have enough space to erupt making brushing difficult. This makes them more vulnerable to bacterial accumulation, and dental decay [5]. This results in intense toothache.

Other Causes

An abscessed tooth is a pus-filled pocket that can cause intense pain mostly due to bacterial infection
Fractured or broken old filling that exposure the sensitive dentin and pulp (cracked tooth syndrome)
The presence of a large or deep dental filling
Bruxism (involuntary clenching or grinding of the teeth)
Sinusitis can cause radiating pain in the tooth

Oral Care Tips During Pregnancy

Toothache during pregnancy can be daunting! Having a baby grow inside your womb can make you anxious to seek dental care. But you must not ignore your oral health. Follow the below-mentioned oral care tips to help you reduce toothache and sail through your pregnancy journey easily.

Visit The Dentist

Do not use any self-medication like painkillers for toothache. Consult your dentist right away for further course of action. Many women think visiting a dentist can harm their baby! But this is not the case. Ignoring oral problems can result in infections that can potentially affect the baby indirectly [6].

Follow a Proper Brushing Technique

Ensure to use a soft-bristled toothbrush to brush your teeth twice daily. Remember to floss your teeth to keep the interdental areas free from plaque as well.

Home Remedies

Morning sickness during pregnancy is common. This can make you nauseous, thus brushing your teeth early in the morning can be challenging. To overcome this you can simply use fresh baking soda (dentrifice) with lukewarm water to swish your mouth. This helps eliminate plaque [7].

Eating Right

Ensure to cut back on sugary foods and drinks to prevent plaque accumulation. Eat a healthy well-balanced diet with all the essential nutrients needed for healthy teeth [8].

Take Your Prenatals Regularly

Calcium is important for healthy teeth as well as your baby’s development. Daily consumption of prenatal is important to keep dental problems at bay during pregnancy.

Do Not Avoid X-rays If Required

Your dentist may suggest X-rays only if deemed necessary by taking all the necessary precautions like using lead aprons [6]. Low-dose X-rays will not harm your growing baby.

[Read: Top 10 Easy Natural Remedies For Morning Sickness]

Other Essential Tips For Dental Care During Pregnancy

Here are more essential dental hygiene tips that you can follow during pregnancy to avoid dental problems:-

Regular flossing and teeth cleansing with medicated fluoride toothpaste prevents many diseases and oral infections.
Keep your teeth, fresh and unhurt by following a thorough mouth rinsing on regular basis.
If you have none to guide you on how to do dental care during pregnancy, visit online dental care clinics to have more ideas and tips to increase the longevity of teeth and gum.
Online dental care specialists give their opinions to pregnant women instantly. It is helpful to many innocent pregnant women who have major/minor dental problems.
For preventing tooth decay, eat fresh cheese, which provides a lot of calcium. You will get alkaline as well to strengthen your teeth and manage the acidic impact on the teeth.
Drink water frequently to refresh the mouth. Due to recurrent vomiting, the mouth and teeth are stuffed with heavy layers of acid to dampen the quality of teeth. Water cleans 99 percent of debris and acidic components from the mouth.
Make your teeth stronger. If you like to consume sugar-based food during pregnancy, try to steer clear of high-carb sweeteners and confectionery to protect the enamels of your teeth.

[Read: Calcium During Pregnancy]

It is vitally important to stay on top of your oral health during pregnancy to avoid any potential risks or complications. Dental problems like tooth decay, toothache, and gum disease can aggravate during pregnancy due to excess plaque accumulation, hormonal fluctuations, increased blood volume, or dietary changes. Therefore it is essential to follow oral care tips in the form of regular brushing, flossing, and mouth rinsing, for the welfare of yourself and the growing baby. Regular dental visits even during pregnancy are crucial to help keep your oral health up-to-date. Because you and your baby deserve a lot of love, care, and nurturing!!

FAQ’s

1. Can I Use Mouthwash When Pregnant?

Yes, you can. If you’re pregnant and especially if battling with gingivitis, using mouthwash may be a helpful addition to your dental hygiene routine.

2. What Is A Good Natural Mouth Rinse?

Dentists often suggest rinsing the mouth with salt water. Baking soda is another common element in mouth rinses. Clove, lemon, turmeric, neem water, and other natural mouth rinses are also effective.

3. What Can I Substitute For Mouthwash?

There are several natural alternatives to commercial mouth rinses, such as apple cider vinegar, baking soda, peppermint oil, neem water, tea tree oil, etc.

References

Oral care in pregnancy
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6883753/]
Oral Healthcare during Pregnancy: Its Importance and Challenges in Lower-Middle-Income Countries (LMICs)
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9518121/]
Oral Health Related Awareness and Practices among Pregnant Women in Bagalkot District, Karnataka, India
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4377142/]
Dental Considerations in Pregnancy-A Critical Review on the Oral Care
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3681080/
Increased Oral Care Needs and Third Molar Symptoms in Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Finnish Gestational Diabetes Case-Control Study
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9518339/
Referrals for Dental Care During Pregnancy
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3074205/#:~:text=Non%2Demergent%20interventions%20are%20best,number%20of%20women%20without%20care.
The efficacy of baking soda dentifrice in controlling plaque and gingivitis: A systematic review
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6850485/
Factors Related to Maternal Oral Health Status: Focus on Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8229509/#:~:text=Studies%20have%20reported%20that%20the,oral%20health%20problems%20%5B4%5D.

Oral Care Tips During Pregnancy