DENTAL CARE DURING PREGNANCY

Pregnancy is a very “interesting phase”, but there are some behaviours that need to be observed even during this happy and important part of a woman’s life.
First of all and as usual, a correct prevention is the most important rule while planning your pregnancy, in order to have a healthy mouth and eliminate any periodontal disease and caries. The elimination of any possibility of acute or chronic disease during pregnancy protects the mother-to-be from the risk of taking antibiotics and anti-inflammatory substances, which are not always recommended.

It is now known that, if necessary, dental treatments can be carried out during pregnancy, paying particular attention – especially during the first three months, the most delicate for the formation of the fetus – to the administration of local anesthetics and to the prescription of medicaments that are essential to treat infections, which of course must not cross the ematoplacentar barrier. If it’s needed, the orthodontist can talk to the gynaecologist to share with him information about pharmacologic and therapeutic treatments.

One of the most common discomforts that a woman can feel during pregnancy is the more or less intense bleeding of gums, due to the action  of gestational hormones; moreover, the saliva of a pregnant woman is particularly dense.

For all these reasons a pregnant woman should take special care of her dental hygiene, continuing to brush her teeth even if the gums are bleeding, going to the dentist at least once every three months to perform oral hygiene sessions and verify the presence of carious processes.

Of course radiographic examinations must be avoided during the whole pregnancy.