A Healthy Pregnancy Needs Healthy Teeth, Gums, and Preventive Care
When the pregnancy test comes back positive, mom-to-be goes into overdrive to ensure the maximum health of the little life growing inside her: she will seek to eat healthier foods, cut out certain foods and drinks altogether and of course schedule routine checkups to make sure all is going well. Unfortunately, one of the most overlooked aspects of a healthy pregnancy is its need for healthy teeth, gums, and preventive care that keeps the oral cavity from getting infected.
It is a curious disservice that has informed women of the increase in bleeding from their gums during pregnancy and claims this to be a completely normal occurrence. While it is true that bleeding from gums increases, for healthy teeth, gums, and overall dental wellbeing, this bleeding need to be seen as pregnancy onset gingivitis which will require medical attention. Even as it is true that the bleeding gums are indeed occurring in about half of all pregnancies, it is just as true that in some cases there is more than just a pregnancy related cause and instead it may be an aggravation of periodontal disease that is destroying the gum tissue.
A healthy pregnancy needs healthy teeth, gums and preventive care, and when you realize that physicians have forged a link between aggravated periodontal disease and premature babies as well as low birth weight babies, it should hit home to all moms-to-be that this is indeed a very serious issue that cannot be downplayed. As a matter of fact, clinical studies have shown that several of the bacteria that are present en masse when periodontal disease is indicated actually do have labor inducing properties!
Although this might not be enough to cause preterm labor, if other factors contributing to this event are present as well, the risk of a pregnant woman undergoing preterm labor is severely heightened. Conversely, by seeking to improve the health of teeth, gums, and the oral cavity as a whole, a mother-to-be might quite possibly be protecting her precious baby by taking on of the major risk factors off the table.
If you are diagnosed with gum disease that requires intervention, do not fear that it will hurt your baby. You must tell your dental health care professional that you are pregnant as soon as you make the appointment (and it does not hurt to remind her or him once you walk in) but the procedures involved in the treatment of periodontal disease is little more than a scaling and root planning which does not require anesthesia.
As your dentist is examining your teeth and gums, she or he might also make some recommendations for future treatments – once the child is born – which may require anesthesia. This might be the case if you need to have cavities taken care of or if you are experienced receding gums that might require treatment. Although with the help of lasers the receding gum line can now be treated quickly and easily, the fact that some anesthesia is involved usually has professionals waiting until after the baby arrives.
