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How Pregnancy Changes Your Gum 亚洲自慰视频
Interviewer: Pregnancy brings a lot of changes. Some are expected and understood, and some may catch you by surprise. One often overlooked area is your oral health. How does pregnancy impact your gums, and can your gum health affect your baby and you?
Dr. Daniel Thunell, a board-certified periodontist at 亚洲自慰视频 of Utah 亚洲自慰视频's School of Dentistry, is going to talk us through a little bit about what every parent-to-be needs to know about their oral health.
Now, Dr. Thunell, let's start with gum disease in general. What is it, and how common is it?
Dr. Thunell: Gum disease is inflammation and infection of the tissues that support your teeth, so the bones and the gums around your teeth. And almost 50% of all adults and 70% of adults over 65 have some form of gum disease.
Why Gum Disease Is So Common During Pregnancy
Interviewer: Wow, that's a lot. And how many people during pregnancy? Is it common? Is it not so common?
Dr. Thunell: It's very common during pregnancy. In fact, as many as 75% of pregnant women will have some form of gum disease during their pregnancy.
Interviewer: Wow. And when it comes to pregnancy and your oral health and the microbiome, how do hormonal changes during pregnancy affect those gums?
Dr. Thunell: So the hormonal changes during your pregnancy can affect your body's response to the dental plaque or the dental bacteria. And so your body becomes more susceptible to those bacteria, which can worsen your gum health during pregnancy.
Interviewer: Wow. So it's the actual hormone levels, and it's changing, I guess, the chemistry and how your body reacts to what's happening in your mouth.
Dr. Thunell: Exactly.
Interviewer: How do those changes increase gum disease? Is your body more susceptible to it? It's just a changing landscape?
Dr. Thunell: Exactly. So your body becomes more susceptible to the bacteria. It has less ability to ward off or fight off infection because of the changes in those hormones. And so good, proper oral hygiene and home care are critical during pregnancy to keep those supporting tissues around the teeth as healthy as possible.
Interviewer: All right. So we've already kind of discussed that as many as, I think you said, 75% of pregnant people . . .
Dr. Thunell: Correct.
The Risks of Untreated Gum Disease for Mother and Baby
Interviewer: Oh, wow. May have some gum disease, gingivitis, something like that. What happens if it goes untreated?
Dr. Thunell: Aside from the damage that it can do to your teeth and to your mouth, there is potential for these bacteria to pass through the bloodstream and impact your baby as well. They can travel to the placenta. They can travel to the uterus. And these can lead to pregnancy complications, including preterm delivery or a low-birth-weight delivery.
Is Dental Care Safe During Pregnancy?
Interviewer: One of the things that I kind of came across when doing my research online was that there are some kind of, I hope, myths saying that pregnant people should not be getting dental care during pregnancy. Is it safe to get, say, cleanings and treatments during pregnancy?
Dr. Thunell: It is absolutely safe for a pregnant mother to receive dental care during her pregnancy. In fact, we would say that it's critical for her to be taking care of herself. As important as that little baby is to the mother, her own body needs to be just as important to her, because taking care of herself ultimately allows her to take care of the baby. And so we strongly encourage expecting mothers to seek out dental care. It is safe.
We often recommend during the second trimester, specifically, when a lot of the baby's organs have developed and when the mother is a little more comfortable, not dealing so much with morning sickness as much, perhaps, this is an optimal time to receive dental care.
But through all the trimesters of pregnancy, it's safe. It's safe to receive X-rays. It's safe to receive treatment. We take a few extra precautions as we go through that process, but we strongly encourage them to continue to seek out care.
When to Delay Dental Procedures and When Not To
Interviewer: There were some folks who were saying you should delay your dental care during pregnancy. Now we know that it's safe. But is there any kind of reason to maybe delay certain procedures during pregnancy?
Dr. Thunell: There can be some procedures that are not considered necessary, and that's something that a pregnant mother can discuss with her dentist and decide together if there's something that could be postponed until after the baby comes.
But as far as we're talking today about specifically gum health, there's no aspect of gum health or treatment that should be delayed until after the baby arrives. It's important enough to the health of the mother and the baby that it should be taken care of when the condition or the issue is diagnosed.
Daily Habits That Protect Gum 亚洲自慰视频 at Home
Interviewer: So we have established that there can be some complications between gum disease and pregnancy, and that it's safe to take care of your basic health, like checkups, etc. Is there anything that pregnant people should be doing when at home to make sure that their teeth and oral health are good, or is it the same as brushing and flossing?
Dr. Thunell: The same recommendations that we would make to anyone. They should be brushing their teeth at least twice daily. They should be flossing at least once daily. And we know that the majority of the population doesn't do that, and so it's even more important during pregnancy to follow those guidelines to give yourself optimal oral health.
Warning Signs of Gum Disease You Shouldn't Ignore
Interviewer: Understanding that pregnant people, as many as 75%, can get these types of gum disease, what sorts of signs should they be on the lookout for, for when they should probably go in and see somebody?
Dr. Thunell: Primary signs of gum disease include bleeding gums, a purplish or darker color to the gums right around the necks of the teeth, loose teeth, or a distinct odor in the mouth, which can all be signs of gum disease.
Primarily, bleeding gums. If an expectant mother notices that her gums are bleeding easily when she's brushing or flossing her teeth and that continues day after day, then that's an immediate sign that she should seek out dental care.
Why Taking Care of Your Gums Helps You and Your Baby
Interviewer: All right. So, Dr. Thunell, what's one thing that every pregnant patient should know about their oral health?
Dr. Thunell: One thing every pregnant patient should know is that your oral health and the health of your own body is just as important as the health of the baby and taking care of your baby.
And so we strongly encourage every pregnant or expecting mother to seek out dental care, see your hygienist, have a periodontal screening done, and keep your gum health under good control throughout your pregnancy.