Pregnancy is the beginning of a sensitive period both mentally and physically for expectant mothers. During this period, the hormonal balance that changes during pregnancy leaves the body vulnerable to some bacteria. For this reason, it is extremely important to maintain oral hygiene and dental treatment during pregnancy, especially during pregnancy when the oral mucosa is affected.
What are the Effects of Pregnancy on Dental Health?
Hormonal changes also affect oral secretions. One of the biggest problems encountered is the damage to the dental tissue and gums as a result of the increase in the acid ratio in the mouth during the reflux, nausea and vomiting process. At the same time, gingival swelling is frequently encountered due to hormones.
Since you eat more frequently during pregnancy, you need to make a little more effort to keep your oral hygiene healthy as before. The habit of brushing teeth at least 2 times a day should be increased to a minimum of 3 times during pregnancy. At the same time , regular dental check-ups should be made for dental treatment during pregnancy, and in some cases, dental check-ups should be increased.
Another common problem during pregnancy is teeth clenching. As the quality of sleep deteriorates, the problem of clenching increases. As a result of clenching, tension and pain may occur in the ear, neck and shoulder regions, and daily life may be adversely affected.
Periods of Dental Treatment During Pregnancy
Dental treatment during pregnancy periods are divided into 3-month periods. These are:
First Trimester of Pregnancy
The first trimester, when the baby's organs are still in the development stage, is extremely important. Because the wrong treatment can cause some negativities in the baby's organ development.
If the expectant mother feels intense pain, a dentist should be consulted in case of urgent conditions such as tooth extraction or root canal treatment. Especially gum infections should not be neglected as they can affect the baby very much. The most important point here is to have these procedures done within the knowledge of the doctor who monitors your pregnancy process.
Dental Treatment During Pregnancy Second Trimester
Nausea and vomiting cause the acids reaching the mouth to damage the tooth enamel and cause decay. In this process, oral care should never be neglected by expectant mothers. For dental treatment during pregnancy, it will be extremely beneficial to have tartar cleaning during this period. In addition, the second trimester is the right time for treatments that cannot be delayed, such as tooth extraction, root canal treatment and filling.
Third Trimester of Pregnancy
Since this period is at least as risky as the first trimester of pregnancy, the dentist does not intervene unless it is very urgent.
Dental Treatment During Pregnancy
The main dental treatments that can be done during pregnancy are as follows:
Teeth Cleaning of Dental Treatment During Pregnancy
Unless there is a special situation specified by the obstetrician, there is no harm in cleaning the teeth during pregnancy.
Tooth extraction
Tooth extraction is one of the last methods dentists use outside of the pregnancy process. For this reason, methods such as filling, root canal treatment and veneer are evaluated before tooth extraction.
During pregnancy, local anesthesia can be applied with the permission of the obstetrician. There is little chance of any effect on the baby. The effect rate of the untreated tooth on the baby is much higher than the anesthesia. Therefore, if there is a tooth that needs to be extracted, it should be extracted without delay.
Dental X-ray
Dental X-ray is classified as having little effect on the baby during pregnancy. However, doctors do not prefer X-rays to be taken, except in urgent cases such as fractures or inflammation. In such cases, X-rays are taken with a lead vest that covers the abdomen.
Caries Treatment
As long as there is no objection from the obstetrician, dental caries treatment is possible during pregnancy.
Root Canal Treatment
Canal treatment can also be applied to the expectant mother during pregnancy . Thanks to advanced technology, rotary instruments and root tip finder device called apex locator, it is possible to apply without X-rays. However, if it is not urgent for the comfort of the mother, it is postponed until after the birth.
