Pregnancy is a very delicate cycle in which a woman is exposed to great physical, psychological and hormonal changes in order to give birth to her baby. It is also important to keep in mind that the teeth are also exposed to changes and great care must be taken to achieve healthy teeth.
Many of the following points are shared by the Dentakay Dental Clinic, a leader in all dental processes and excellent prices in Turkey, Mexico and the United Kingdom.
Dental Treatments That Can Be Performed During Pregnancy
- Filling treatments: This procedure consists of filling the holes caused by cavities or by a dental fracture with a biocompatible material. It is important that before doing this, the affected area is completely cleaned.
- Removing Teeth: Pregnant women can only undergo this procedure if it is strictly necessary. Many times, having to remove teeth may be because the pregnant woman already has dental cavities that have reached the pulp of the tooth and can no longer be saved, or because of an extraction of the so-called wisdom teeth.
- Dental cleanings: Dental cleanings are of vital importance since with cleaning you can avoid diseases such as gingivitis that, although it may not seem so, can affect the baby causing premature birth or low birth weight.
- Root canals: A pregnant woman can undergo this treatment that consists of removing deep cavities and not losing the affected tooth.
Dental Treatments That Cannot Be Performed By a Pregnant Woman
There are treatments that represent a danger during the gestation period, so they should be postponed until after pregnancy, these treatments are:
- Dental X-rays: Pregnant women cannot undergo a dental X-ray, although it has been proven that with some techniques the baby is very little exposed so it does not pose a danger to him, it is important that it is always under medical supervision or not done at all.
- Dental implants: The step-by-step placement of dental implants consists of placing screws in the root of the gum through a small surgery that will serve as a base (once it is osseointegrated) for the prosthesis or dental crown. Since it is considered a surgery, it cannot be done during pregnancy to avoid complications.
- Orthodontics: It is common that orthodontics cannot be included during pregnancy since it is a rather rustic procedure that not only compromises the mother’s peace of mind, but the process that lasts months can create obstacles. Orthodontics consists of a series of fixed devices that are placed on the teeth to correct pathologies such as bad bites or dental crowding.
- Teeth whitening: Although whitening and cleaning are not the same, whitening is a procedure that can only be done by a dentist with special devices and chemicals. A pregnant woman cannot do it because these chemicals put the baby exposed to danger.
Importance of Oral Health During Pregnancy
As we can see, a pregnant woman is limited to the number of treatments that can be performed during her gestation period, it is important to be aware of having good oral hygiene to avoid complications that put the baby’s life in danger.
Advantages of Taking Care of Oral Health During Pregnancy:
Diseases such as cavities and gum diseases such as gingivitis are prevented. Reduce the risk of complications such as the baby having low birth weight or even premature birth and everything associated with oral infections in the mother.
Having good hygiene helps the emotional and physical state of the mother to be positive so she can have a calm pregnancy free of worries and stress.
Disadvantages of Poor Oral Health During Pregnancy
Due to hormonal changes, pregnant women are more exposed to easily contracting oral infections. If there is poor hygiene, cavities or periodontal diseases appear, which affect the mother’s peace of mind during pregnancy due to discomfort and pain.
Doctors recommend that the mother maintain a balanced diet and not consume excessive sweets, alcohol, or smoke because apart from directly affecting the baby, the teeth are greatly compromised and teeth can be lost irreversibly.
