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back to DENTAL HEALTH topics
Pregnant women have special dental health issues.
It’s important to maintain good dental health for yourself and your
baby.
Five
easy ways to keep your mouth healthy:
- Avoid excessive snacking, especially snacking
on sweets.
- Brush and floss your teeth every day.
- Visit your dentist, preferably once before pregnancy
and once during pregnancy, between your fourth and sixth months.
Make sure your dentist knows you’re pregnant.
- Be extremely cautious about any medications you
are taking.
- Eat a nutrient-rich diet, including any vitamin
supplements prescribed by your doctor.
Conditions pregnant women should be
aware of:
Due to hormonal changes, pregnant women are more susceptible to
swollen and bleeding gums, called pregnancy gingivitis. Keeping
up with good dental habits and a healthy diet prevents this. Also,
new studies suggest a link between gum disease and premature births.
Visit your dentist to ensure healthy gums. Make sure your dentist
knows you are pregnant. X-rays, dental anesthetics, pain medications,
and antibiotics should be avoided during pregnancy. Visiting your
dentist between your fourth and sixth months of pregnancy is best.
Your first three months are thought to be of greatest importance
in your child’s development, and during the last trimester, sitting
for long periods of time in the dental chair can be uncomfortable.
Your baby’s teeth begin to develop while still in
the womb. Baby teeth begin to form 6 weeks after the baby is conceived.
Permanent teeth begin to form at 12 weeks and continue developing
for 8 years. Certain drugs taken during pregnancy can dramatically
and permanently alter your baby’s teeth. Be extremely cautious
about any medications you are taking.
For
more information, please visit:
Academy of General Dentistry
This web site includes an interactive site to ask dentists questions,
how to find a dentist, and fact sheets on an extensive list of oral
health topics, including fluoride, babies’ and children's dental
health, and articles in Spanish and French. This link takes you
to the fact sheet on pregnancy and oral health.
http://www.agd.org/consumer/topics/pregnancy/main.html
Illinois Department of Public Health
This site is part of a more extensive site about many public health
topics. Its oral health section includes fact sheets on baby bottle
tooth decay, dental sealants, and cleft lip and cleft palate, as
well as an oral health coloring book. This link takes you to the
fact sheet on dental health during pregnancy.
http://www.idph.state.il.us/HealthWellness/oralhlth/oraldentalpreg.htm
The Kids Dentist
This site was created by a pediatric dentist
in Illinois. It covers most topics concerning children’s dental
health in a friendly and personal manner. This link takes you to
the section on prenatal tips.
http://www.thekidsdds.com/prenatal.htm
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