Don’t forget your oral cavity during prenatal check-up!

This is the 3594th article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

With the opening of the three-child policy, more and more pregnant women are preparing for pregnancy and more and more are consulting about pre-pregnancy checkups. This shows that the importance of pre-pregnancy checkups for pregnancy has been deeply rooted in people's minds and deserves praise. However, many pregnant women still do not understand the oral examination recommended by Dr. Wu. So why do we need to check the oral cavity before pregnancy?

Why do you need to have a dental check-up before pregnancy?

Oral problems during pregnancy

First of all, after expectant mothers enter pregnancy, affected by the changes in hormones in the body, the taste of most expectant mothers will change. They will like to eat sour, sweet, spicy or other heavy-tasting foods. Coupled with frequent vomiting as a reaction to early pregnancy, this will often change the bacterial environment in the oral cavity, reduce the immune response, and easily cause problems such as caries and periodontitis.

Secondly, some oral diseases are not easy to detect in the early stages because they have no symptoms. However, during the ten months of pregnancy, coupled with the influence of changes in hormone levels, many budding problems are likely to erupt during this process.

Dental examinations during pregnancy are limited

Everyone knows that most oral problems need to be checked through X-rays, but many pregnant mothers are worried about the effects of radiation and are unwilling to check. Therefore, this also limits the doctor's assessment of the condition.

Treatment during pregnancy is a hassle

During pregnancy, if there are serious oral problems, such as wisdom tooth inflammation, gingivitis, pulpitis, etc., treatment is a rather troublesome matter. The use of medication will be restricted, many anti-inflammatory drugs cannot be used, and some minor surgeries such as tooth extraction cannot be performed. You can only try to relieve symptoms such as toothache and wait until the baby is born. No! It may even take until the end of breastfeeding to be completely treated. You can imagine how uncomfortable it is during this period.

What oral problems are common during pregnancy?

Bleeding gums

After pregnancy, the levels of estrogen and progesterone in the pregnant mother's body will increase significantly, which can easily lead to gingival blood vessel hyperplasia and increased vascular permeability, thereby inducing gingivitis and symptoms such as swollen gums and bleeding. Therefore, this is also called "pregnancy gingivitis."

If the pregnant mother fails to pay regular attention to oral hygiene before pregnancy, dental plaque will remain in the teeth and gums for a long time, chronic inflammation will occur, and the probability of gingival bleeding will be greater.

Some pregnant women may also experience gingival hyperplasia to the point of tumor-like appearance, which is called "gestational epulis". In severe cases, it can affect their eating and may even cause them to give birth to premature or low-birth-weight babies.

Tooth pain

If the expectant mother has tooth decay in its infancy before pregnancy and it is not discovered, the physiological changes and changes in eating habits after pregnancy, as well as the neglect of oral care, will often aggravate the development of tooth decay and cause toothache.

In addition, if the expectant mother has some wisdom teeth that are misaligned before pregnancy and are ignored, or if the wisdom teeth have been repeatedly inflamed in the past, and she vomits frequently after pregnancy, especially in the early stages of pregnancy, food residues are likely to accumulate and breed bacteria, causing acute or chronic pericoronitis, severe pain, and even difficulty opening the mouth, affecting eating and sleeping.

Therefore, it is recommended for expectant mothers to undergo a comprehensive oral examination before pregnancy, to deal with oral problems in a timely and early manner and eliminate hidden dangers.

Of course, even if the oral cavity and teeth are healthy, expectant mothers can also consider cleaning their teeth once before preparing for pregnancy to thoroughly clean their teeth in order to minimize the chances of dental problems during pregnancy.

In addition, after pregnancy, pregnant mothers should also pay attention to oral hygiene, brush their teeth frequently in the morning and evening, and reduce the growth of oral bacteria.

Author: Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Health Care Hospital

Wu Shengnan

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