Although we see children in our practice, a few of our patients are actually new mom's to be. They are usually those in their older teens or young twenties. We sometimes end up caring for these new mom's dental health.
Now, when a woman is pregnant, there are a lot of obvious hormonal changes. Dentally this can manifest as bleeding gums. The best preventative there is closer attention to good oral hygiene and a good diet.
Sometimes ladies develop a red purple bump or swelling on the gums called a pregnancy tumor (which sounds scary, but is benign).
It is best to avoid x-rays or medications especially during the first trimester, so we may delay any treatment or routine diagnostic x-rays a few months. Hopefully, the patient has good oral health so that little problems will not turn into bigger ones because of treatment delay. I'm sure there are many other good sites with information for expectant moms. In fact, here is one from the: ADA. Things are not always so easily planned but, if you are thinking about starting a family, make sure your dental treatment needs are in good order beforehand.
Oh, and don't forget to schedule your baby for their first dental visit by age one!
Thanks to
ReplyDeletedentist manhattan beach
for providing this info ,now i will take care of my wife.
Dear MD Dean,
ReplyDeleteMy 16 mo old little girl knocked out her only top baby tooth...root and all. Do we need to follow up with a dentist? She did this last night, and we have treated her with tylenol/ibuprofin alternating. She is eating soft foods today and has no swelling and seems comfortable. thanks for any response!
I always recommend seeing a Pediatric Dentist after a trauma. It may be no big deal, but best to have an evaluation.
ReplyDeletePregnancy requires better oral hygiene practices, so dentist need to constantly remind them to take care of their teeth and gums. Many dental procedures are not advisable to pregnant women, which is all the more reason why they should avoid developing any oral health problems.
ReplyDeleteMore dentists needs to discuss this important issue with their patients.
ReplyDeleteDental problems can be quite persistent in pregnancy one should see a good Dentist as medications during pregnancy have to be taken with utmost care and consultation with the dentist and the Gynecologist.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this useful information. It will really help.
ReplyDeleteThanks again!!!!
Many dental procedures are not advisable to pregnant women, which is all the more reason why they should avoid developing any oral health problems.
ReplyDeleteMany dental procedures are not advisable to pregnant women, which is all the more reason why they should avoid developing any oral health problems.During pregnancy have to be taken with utmost care ..
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing to think that something as "small" as dental care can affect so many other aspects of your health! A lot of my friends are pregnant right now, so I'll be sure to pass along the info. Thanks for the helpful post.
ReplyDeleteGREAT INFO, THANKS FOR SHARING.
ReplyDeletei got good information about Dental Health
ReplyDeleteTruly am grateful that Pediatric Dentistry has actually come into being. A lot of young moms could benefit from blogsites such as this.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips that you gave out in this post.
We always make sure that we discuss this issue with expectant mothers.
ReplyDeleteDental health is very important especially when the woman is pregnant. She must do what the dentist prescribe.
ReplyDeletewww.implart.com.br
Bottom line: if you're pregnant or planning to get pregnant, get your dental visits out of the way in the beginning, preferably before the cycle begins. You don't want to be visiting the dentist during the 2nd or 3rd trimester.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is very important to schedule regular dentist visit for your children. I am a father of 6years and 2years kids and I am very regular about my kid's routine visit to dentist.
ReplyDeleteIt is must to take good care of dental health for each and every member of family, especially ones who are pregnant.
ReplyDeleteMy gums and mouth were really sensitive when I was pregnant. I didn't want to go to the dentist because of it but then my dentist gave me a mouth rinse that numbed my gums so my dental experience was a lot more enjoyable.
ReplyDeletePregnant moms are so preoccupied with all their other health concerns, this is one that is probably often overlooked.
ReplyDeleteWhoa! I didn't know that even on moms' during pregnancy, something goes wrong on their gums. Are they supposed to take any necessary medication for this condition? Will this be safe for the baby in their womb?
ReplyDeleteBefore when I'm still pregnant, I really tried not to have any dental and other health problem. My son is 1 year and a month next week and it's already scheduled to visit his dentist
ReplyDeletehey..i want to know more about oral health during pregnancy...please somebody give me some tips which a pregnant lady should always keep in mind....
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you there, "Things are not always so easily planned but, if you are thinking about starting a family, make sure your dental treatment needs are in good order beforehand." It is more better if you are prepared enough to any possibilities. Anyway, thanks for sharing this post. I enjoyed reading this post.
ReplyDelete-mel-
Dear Dr. Brandon,
ReplyDeleteI have a question regarding my 5 year old daughter. When she was 2 1/2 years old she chipped the corner of one of her front teeth. A few months later she was in to a pediatric dentist and he put some resin on it to make it look better. I believe he also did the x-rays at the time and the tooth was ok. She never had any problems with it. Almost a year later she developed a little pus pocket above the tooth. I didn't really know what it was at the time and was able to squeeze the pus out. And I never noticed it again on her until now, almost 2 years later. (So almost 3 years after the initial incident) Above the same tooth there is another pus pocket. Her tooth does not bother her at all and she is not in any pain. Is this serious? Or do you think she could maybe be treated with some antibiotics and see if it goes away? And of course watch if it comes back. Her tooth does look a little discolored (greyish) but not too much. (that is not recent) Any advice would be greatly appreciated as we moved away from our pediatric dentist. Thank you!
Dr. Brandon,
ReplyDeleteI just left the comment about my 5 year old daughter having a pus bubble/abscess above a tooth that was chipped almost 3 years ago.....I should also state that she just went to the dentist 3 days ago for a check up and cleaning and there wasn't anything at that time. However, they did apply a flouride treatment to her teeth, and I am wondering if perhaps that could have gotten into her tooth causing the infection? Especially since she hasn't had any other problems for 2 years, and that was a one time thing. Or could they have scraped her gum a little during the cleaning causing an infection? Thank you for your advice.
LM
Nop, cleaning teeth does not cause dental abscesses. I do see clinical symptoms of an abscessed tooth come up pretty rapidly though. Abscessed teeth sometimes do not show clinical signs till later on. Swelling on the gum above a tooth is a sign of abscess. It should not be confused with an ulcer which would go away in about a week. Of course, I do advise having it checked out.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your response. My daughter has a repeat appointment in a few weeks so I will let him know. I noticed that the corner of her tooth fixed with resin is chipped slightly. I'm wondering if maybe some bacteria got in through that and possibly into the pulp of the tooth. Is that possible? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteLM
Trauma can cause an abscess even some time after an accident.
ReplyDeleteDoctor, we are planning for a baby, but 2 days back my dentist removed one of the tooth .. And now am on medicine.. Can't stop the medicine as it will start painting... Now my question is .. Can we try this momth for the baby ? Or it's not advisable because of medicines I take ...
ReplyDeleteIssues of maternal health should best be handled by consulting your physician or obstetrician.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot ... Have taken gynacs appointment .. Tomm will get my answer :)
ReplyDeleteThis website is very important for all those parents who are looking forward to have a family. There is lot of hormonal changes' when a women becomes pregnant. So it is very important for any pregnant lady to take care of her dental problems. And a good diet can help you in fighting with your dental problems.
ReplyDeleteWonderful info here - thank you so much for the blog.
ReplyDeleteI am curious what is the age you want to switch from a pediatric dentist to a regular dentist?
ReplyDeleteFor patients--We (pediatric dentists) see children from birth up to 21 years of age. There are some who are still in grad school, so some we see up to say 25. We also see a few adults with special needs (Down's syndrome, etc.) There is a point when we suggest they see a grown-up-dentist. In fact, there are some younger than 21 that really have grown-up dentistry needs (like implants, multiple porcelain crowns, that are often best seen by someone who does that kind of thing all the time. So, I'll refer patients for that.
ReplyDeleteIf you are asking, personally, I will never switch from being a pediatric dentist to being a general (regular) dentist. It's too much fun. ;)