Maintaining Excellent Oral Health during Pregnancy

During pregnancy, it’s vital to maintain good oral health. Ideally, if you are considering adding to your family come and visit us before you become pregnant. Otherwise, come and see us as soon as you can. It’s perfectly safe to continue receiving routine dental treatment during your pregnancy. We can devise a suitable treatment plan to ensure your teeth remain healthy and strong and to minimise the effects of common problems like pregnancy gingivitis and morning sickness.

Pregnancy Gingivitis

Changing hormone levels increase the sensitivity of your gums to mouth bacteria. This, in turn, can increase your risk of developing a condition called pregnancy gingivitis, where your gums begin to bleed more frequently and look swollen and red. Also, pregnancy can exacerbate any existing symptoms of gum disease. If this is a problem, we may recommend more frequent hygiene appointments as removing bacteria makes it easier to control the inflammation and infection.

Morning Sickness

If you are affected by morning sickness, it exposes your teeth to strong stomach acid which softens your tooth enamel. Afterwards, don’t brush your teeth immediately but wait at least an hour. In the meantime, rinse your mouth with tap water to reduce acidity.