Dental Care and Treatment

Not only do your teeth become more susceptible to cavities during pregnancy, but you are more at risk for bleeding gums and inflammation as well. This is due to altered hormones. They ensure that your body us supplied with more blood, and this includes your gums. The downside is that it makes your mouth more susceptible to bacteria. However, you can protect your teeth by caring for them thoroughly and intensively. The best way to do this is to brush them two or three times a day with a soft-bristled toothbrush and a toothpaste that contains fluoride. Additionally, you should floss between your teeth daily to thoroughly remove all food debris and plaque. This is important for preventing serious gum and tooth bed inflammation or infection. Especially bad gum disease is called periodontal disease and in serious cases can even lead to a premature birth or a miscarriage. This is caused by an inflammatory substance that can trigger contractions and thus initiate labour.

Pregnant people are generally advised to make appointments with their dentist at the beginning and towards the end of pregnancy. Please let the office know that you are pregnant before the examination begins. Then the dentist can adjust any treatments accordingly. At the first appointment the health of your teeth will be checked. Your dentist will also advise you how to best care for your teeth during pregnancy and the best way to eat. If you can, you should have a professional teeth cleaning at the beginning of your pregnancy as well. A specialist will remove tartar and plaque and clean the gum pockets. This provides additional protection against inflammation and infection. However, not every health insurance company covers the cost of such treatments. Therefore, you should ask your insurance company whether they will pay the bill in full or in part, and if so, how much. At the second dental appointment, which should take place shortly before birth, you will learn how best to care for children's teeth.

If your dentist finds a cavity has developed on one of your teeth or that your gums have become inflamed, these conditions will not be treated until your second trimester of pregnancy. This is because the first few weeks after fertilisation are a sensitive developmental time. This is when the organs are formed. If possible, this process should not be disturbed by external influences. Therefore, doctors generally avoid medical interventions during this the first trimester. This also applies to x-rays. They should only be done in emergencies. The rays with which the body is illuminated are not good for fetal or embryonic development. You should also wait until after the birth to have any major dental work that could be postponed.

If you have a dental filling done during pregnancy, you have a legal right to ask your doctor to use a higher quality material such as ceramic or plastic instead of amalgam. Normally, most patients have to pay any additional costs for this themselves. However, because there is evidence that amalgam may be harmful to babies, ceramics or plastics are free for you while you are breastfeeding or pregnant.

A long time can pass before cavities become painful. Nevertheless, pregnant people and new mothers should definitely have tooth cavities treated. This is because tooth decay is caused by bacteria and can be contagious. The germs are transferred from one person to another with saliva and can thus pass from you to the baby. This can happen, for example, through kissing or by eating from the same spoon as your child. The bacteria can not only damage your child’s baby teeth. They can also become permanently embedded in your child’s mouth and damage their permanent teeth. Other family members or people caring for the child should also make sure that they have as little contact as possible with the baby's pacifier or cutlery so that they do not transmit tooth decay. 

A sudden toothache can be quite awful. Still, if you're pregnant, you shouldn't just take any common painkiller to temporarily numb the pain. Widely used medicines such as ibuprofen or paracetamol can harm the fetus. Better to get an appointment with your dental office as soon as possible so that the dentist can fix the cause. There you can also get a painkiller that is suitable for pregnant people. Until then, you can try home remedies and gargling with salt water or chamomile tea.