Pregnancy is more prone to oral diseases than usual, but in fact, oral diseases in pregnant women are basically the same as those in normal people.
Pregnancy will cause a series of physiological changes, and the oral cavity will also be susceptible to many oral and gum diseases due to changes in endocrine and dietary habits.
Pregnancy gingivitis
The only oral disease that is unique to pregnant women is gingivitis, which is not caused by pregnancy itself. It is only because of the change in progesterone and estrogen levels during pregnancy that the hormones act on the microvasculature of the gums, causing them to dilate, distort and stagnate in circulation, increasing vascular permeability and causing inflammatory cells to exude, causing the gums to become congested and swollen, and making them more sensitive to mechanical stimulation and bleeding when touched.
The increase in sex hormones also destroys the gingival mast cells, releasing histamine and lysozyme, which can make the gums more responsive to external stimuli. Therefore, the presence of minor irritations (e.g., only a small amount of plaque) does not cause discomfort before pregnancy, but serious gum inflammation and swelling may occur after pregnancy. Gingivitis usually begins to worsen during the second to third trimester of pregnancy and becomes more severe by the eighth month of pregnancy.
In severe cases, gingival tumors (deep red, painless, a phenomenon of severely congested and swollen gums) may even form during pregnancy and bleed easily, but they will slowly disappear towards the end of pregnancy; unless removal is recommended because of ulcers or chewing disorders.
Periodontal disease can affect the health of the fetus
Periodontal disease is mainly caused by anaerobic bacterial infections. The bacteria themselves and other metabolites will release some inflammatory factors when the gums become inflamed, which may lead to poor blood sugar metabolism and even premature delivery in pregnant women; in addition, it is difficult for pregnant women to eat due to toothache, which will lead to nutritional imbalance and will also indirectly affect the health of the fetus.
In fact, there is growing evidence that periodontal disease may lead to preterm delivery and low birth weight babies. 1996 American Academy of Periodontology study also published: pregnant women with severe periodontal disease are seven times more likely to have miscarriage, preterm delivery or low birth weight babies than pregnant women with good oral health. So pregnant mothers should not take this lightly.
Another study showed that gum disease increases the risk of preeclampsia (a complication of pregnancy that manifests as high blood pressure, water retention and proteinuria) in pregnant women.
Therefore, early removal of such local irritants such as dental plaque and calculus is urgently needed before pregnancy.
As some patients avoid treatment, they end up with a high incidence of tooth loss after delivery. Some pregnant women with severe periodontitis are at increased risk of delivering preterm and low birth weight babies, which places a heavy burden on preterm babies and their families.
Wisdom tooth pericoronitis
Pericoronitis occurs in adults between the ages of 20-35 years, and most pregnant women are at this age.
As a result of human evolution and changes in diet from childhood, the development of the modern human jawbone is still smaller than the ancient human jawbone, so that the third molars (wisdom teeth), which are the last to erupt, are often “buried horizontally” and do not grow out. The last molars (wisdom teeth) are often “buried horizontally” or “partially erupted at an angle”. Because the tooth cannot fully erupt, it is still partially covered under the flesh of the tooth, and there is a gap between the crown and the flesh of the tooth, which is like a “garbage bag” that retains food debris and grows bacteria. Over time, this piece of flesh (gum flap) will have acute and chronic inflammation, and sometimes, there will be swelling fluid formation. At this time, the flesh of the tooth swells, the upper teeth bite into this piece of flesh, the more bite the more swollen, the easier to bite, the more inflammation. The inflammation spreads backward to the ear, throat and the floor of the mouth, and more seriously, the patient often has systemic toxic complications, such as fever and general malaise. In addition, the patient is unable to bite and has bad breath. This pain is often unbearable when inflicted on a patient, especially a pregnant woman who is undergoing rapid physical and psychological changes. What is more unfortunate is that the time when such teeth erupt and act strangely occurs most often between the ages of 20 and 35, so there are countless cases of pregnant women suffering from oral diseases in our assertion.
Strictly speaking, to prevent pericoronitis from bothering pregnant women, women should have an oral examination before they are ready to get pregnant and have their problematic wisdom teeth removed in a timely manner, because it is not suitable for oral surgery in the early and late stages of pregnancy, and even in the safer period of three to six months of pregnancy, it is a big pain for pregnant women to go through the process of wisdom tooth removal which may take tens of minutes.
The wobbliness of the tooth may increase.
Acute root infection, some of the more serious tooth decay, if the pulp nerve has been necrosis, instead of pain, the patient is unconscious, but the long October pregnancy, it may break out acute periodontitis, apical alveolitis, apical alveolar swelling and other acute symptoms, there will also be unbearable swelling and pain. Therefore, all teeth with unpulpable teeth, residual roots or teeth with obvious apical lesions after previous root canal treatment should be seen early for early treatment or extraction or filling in order to avoid pain during pregnancy.
Chances of tooth decay increase greatly
The most common oral problem during pregnancy is tooth decay. The increase in saliva production during pregnancy makes the mouth acidic, changes in eating habits and irregular diet, and neglect of personal oral hygiene are all causes of tooth decay.
It is unfortunate that women in general have the misconception that “pregnancy will definitely cause tooth decay” and let their teeth decay. In fact, pregnancy does not necessarily lead to bad teeth, but because of the change of pregnant women’s physiology and living and eating habits, they are often negligent, tired all over, and often have intense vomiting, so they will vomit when they brush their teeth, so it is easy to stop or neglect brushing. Stomach acid stays in the mouth, or often like to eat acidic food, resulting in changes in saliva pH value, which is also the cause of tooth decay for pregnant women.
Teeth are easily decayed
In the early stage of pregnancy, some pregnant women vomit and have serious acid reflux, resulting in lower PH value of oral saliva, causing tooth decay (often occurs on the lingual side of teeth). The physiological changes during pregnancy, combined with the wear and tear of food, can easily form dentin sensitivity, and the irritation will be more severe when eating sweet and acidic foods.
Obstructed teeth cause acute swollen sores
The more common oral problem during pregnancy is the acute swelling and ulceration caused by the blocked teeth. This is usually due to the blocked teeth that were not removed before pregnancy and the plaque buildup, which leads to the inflammation and swelling of the flesh around the blocked teeth.
During the first trimester of pregnancy, the fetus is susceptible to the effects of medication, which can lead to malformed babies, so try not to use medication during this period. For oral surgery in general, therapeutic drugs must be taken before and after the surgery, and if it is a long and stimulating oral surgery, it may cause miscarriage.
Premature births have also been reported in cases of prolonged surgery near the end of pregnancy and before delivery. Although current research reports indicate that surgery and anesthesia are not harmful to the fetus and that premature delivery or miscarriage is due to patient stress, scholars still advocate that pregnant women with intolerable, persistent tooth pain should have their teeth extracted or operated on promptly. At present, people have conservative ideas and are reluctant to receive treatment during pregnancy even if the pain is so severe that they cannot sleep for several days, and in such cases, we are often unable to help and watch the pain until after delivery.
Therefore, it is most appropriate for pregnant women to undergo tooth extraction during the fourth to sixth months of pregnancy, but often, the suffering of the mothers-to-be is caused by their own negligence, which may affect the “fetal education”.
Therefore, all mothers-to-be are urged to have oral examinations in a timely manner and to treat any problems early if they are found. We hope that you will have an oral examination before you are ready to get pregnant, so that you can get rid of the old and welcome the new before you get pregnant, and prepare a good mouthful of “good teeth”, so that your mother can welcome your lovely baby under the expectation of happy and peaceful care!