What to Expect at the Dental Office When You Are Expecting

September 2015

Hello Readers,

Today I want to talk about what to expect, dental-wise, when you are expecting. This is a topic near and dear to my heart as I am happy to announce I am currently four months along with our second child.

Lots of rumors that fly around about your dental health when you are pregnant. I have heard everything from your teeth get soft, to you can’t have x-rays, to you need to have x-rays, to you should go to the dentist more often, to you should avoid it entirely. Phew! There is a lot of information out there. Today I want to get to the bottom of some of these myths. One thing I know for sure, is that you have enough things to worry about while pregnant rather than getting bogged down by dental fact and fiction.

First we will tackle, “what’s the deal with your teeth and gums while you are pregnant.” Many women report that their teeth bleed a lot and their teeth get soft during pregnancy. As you know, our hormones go on a roller coaster ride during gestation. The upflux of estrogen and progesterone can make your gums more sensitive and bleed more easily while brushing or flossing. (I, for one, look like a vampire when I am flossing while pregnant.) For this reason, some women may avoid their normal home-care routine. In addition, morning sickness can have a significant effect on your diet. Frequent meals are more common and I will be the first to admit carbs help me suppress those waves of nausea best. The combination of an increase in frequent carb intake and a simultaneous oral home-care decrease can lead to the phenomenon people describe as “soft teeth.” It is not uncommon for a woman with a great dental history and very few cavities in her life to all of a sudden have three or four while pregnant.

This debunks our second myth of the day, “you should avoid the dentist while pregnant.” Given what we learned in the last paragraph we can see how important it is to stay on top of our dental care so we don’t get into even more trouble with our teeth. And what’s worse (and what many women don’t know) is that bad oral hygiene in pregnancy has been associated with various adverse effects to the baby such as “premature delivery, intrauterine growth restriction, gestational diabetes and preclampsia.”1 Both the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommend continuing your normal dental care while pregnant.

The third thing that can bring about a lot of confusion is what treatment is allowed during pregnancy. I would say the most frequently asked questions are: can I have x-rays, can I have novocaine, and can I have dental work completed? This month’s cover story in The Journal of the American Dental Association

covers just that topic. The major conclusion presented was “the use of dental local anesthetics, as well as dental treatment during pregnancy, do not present a major teratogenic [or birth defect] risk.”1 To state that another way: lidocaine, the most common modern day anesthetic used, and dental work, such as extractions, root canals, and fillings, did not increase the risk of birth or birthing abnormalities. There was also no negative findings with the use of x-rays on the women in the study. The exposure from one x-ray is so low that it is only 0.01 of a percent of what the U.S. Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements considers a safe dose for a mother.1  Of course no x-rays, anesthesia, or work need to be done unnecessarily, but it is nice to know that if you are in pain your dentist can help.

All in all the dentist’s office is your friend. We are here to lend a hand to you during your pregnancy and to make your life easier. Even if you just want to come in and complain about your gums (as I do most often these days.) We are here for that too! Pregnancy is complicated enough. Let us worry about your teeth and gums for you :)

Have a great day and a happy pregnancy,

Dr. Omene

1. Hagai A, Diav-Citrin O, Shechtman S, Ornoy A. The Journal of the American Dental Association. Dental Treatment Safety with Local Anesthetics During Pregnancy. 2015;146(8)572-580
2. Moore, P. The Journal of the American Dental Association. Selecting Drugs for the Pregnant Patient. 1998;129:1281-1286.
3. Sheth, B. Academy of General Dentistry Impact. Brushing for Two. 2009.
4. The Journal of the American Dental Association. For the dental patient: oral health during pregnancy. 2011;142(5):574