Prevention
Morning Sickness
Morning sickness can be terrible and even triggered by toothbrushing. So what should you do? If you have morning sickness, avoid brushing your teeth for at least 30 minutes afterward. When your mouth is filled with acid, brushing can intensify the effect on your teeth. Instead, try using a product that helps to remineralise your teeth. I would recommend Tooth Mousse which was developed in Australia years ago, as this helps to increase the enamel hardness after an acid attack.
Try using no toothpaste if you are struggling with morning sickness. Sometimes the taste of the toothpaste is all it takes to bring on nausea. If you struggle with flossing, there are ‘P-shaped’ flossing sticks that can help as there is less to put in your mouth when cleaning between your teeth. These are sold in supermarkets and chemists. Another option can be a water flosser if putting your fingers in your mouth to clean is just too much to bear.
Dental Visits
The best time to visit the dentist is during the second trimester if you need dental work. By the second trimester of your pregnancy, your baby is fully formed and growth continues. Of course, it is important to let your dentist know what stage you are up to in your pregnancy so that you can work together to keep you safe. It is also really important not to wait for a toothache. A toothache means stress and pain for you, and this can impact your baby. Not only that but when toothaches are really bad, you may need antibiotics or painkillers too. We all want to minimise medication and intensive treatment whenever possible, so getting your teeth sorted is the best strategy, Fifi Box (Fox FM radio host) recently admitted to having a craving for Licorice and diet coke during her last pregnancy to her daughter Daisy. She also admitted that when she went to the dentist, there were 6 decay spots found. This is not a coincidence. High sugar, sticky food, and acidic drinks all cause havoc at the best of times. If you do get cravings, it is important to try and limit the number of times you snack on them during the day. It is much better to have a real binge (sit there and eat the whole pack at once) rather than eat little by little during the day. Constant snacking means that the acid and sugar attack to the teeth is long-standing, rather than in a short, sharp burst. Again once you are done, wait at least 30 minutes before brushing to make sure that the acid levels have been neutralised by your saliva.
Oral Hygiene & Health
Finally, your baby develops their own oral bacteria based on yours. This is usually as a result of mum’s licking spoons to check if the food is hot, or putting a dummy in your mouth whilst multi-tasking and changing nappies and so on. So your oral health is vital to ensure that you pass on mostly good bacteria. Decay is caused by a bacteria called S. Mutans, whilst gum disease is mostly caused by P. Gingivalis. If you have decay or gum disease, your levels of these harmful bacteria will be high in your saliva. So that chance of passing these to your baby are also high. This sets up an environment for your baby to be more prone to having decay or gum disease themselves. So look after yourself, to help look after your baby’s mouth too.
