Healthy teeth and pregnancy

Keep smiling

• Tell your dentist you are pregnant and ask him or her to check your gums because gum disease often develops in pregnancy. Get advice on how to care for them. There is increasing evidence of an association between maternal gum disease and low-birth weight babies.

• Your hormonal balance will be altered and your gums may become irritated by plaque and become sore and bleed. Use a soft toothbrush to clean teeth and gums.

• Brushing may make you gag or feel sick. Using a toothbrush with a small head may help prevent this. Concentrate on your breathing while cleaning your back teeth. Morning sickness can make you vomit in the early stages, coating your teeth with the acid contents of your stomach, which can destroy tooth enamel. Do not follow your instincts and immediately brush your teeth. Rinse your mouth with water. Do not brush for at least an hour after vomiting to avoid tooth erosion of the acid-softened tooth surface — let it mineralise first.

  Treatment during pregnancy
  Your dentist will avoid doing fillings or replacing dental amalgams while you are pregnant, particularly during the first three months. But if work must be done, there is little risk to you or your baby. It is best conducted between four and six months when the baby's organs are developed. In the later stages of pregnancy, sitting in a dental chair for long periods can be uncomfortable.