“If a mother-to-be suffers from dental problems during pregnancy, it will not only bring inconvenience to her life, but may also affect the health of the fetus in her womb. Pregnant women need to pay more attention to their teeth. 1. Should I check my mouth during pregnancy preparation? Many women are unaware that dental problems are likely to occur or worsen during pregnancy. Oral hygiene checkups are rarely considered when performing preconception exams. In order to ensure that your body is in the best condition for pregnancy, it is important for women during pregnancy preparation to go to the hospital for health checkups to understand their oral health, detect diseases and treat them in a timely manner. 2. Should dental problems be taken care of before pregnancy? Due to the changes of hormones and dietary habits in the body during pregnancy, dental problems such as gingivitis, periodontitis, dental caries, pulpitis and pericoronitis of wisdom teeth are likely to occur or worsen during pregnancy. Dental diseases are often accompanied by unbearable toothache, which brings great physical and mental pain to pregnant women, seriously affects their eating and causes malnutrition of the fetus. Gingivitis, periodontitis and other inflammatory diseases that are not treated in time can lead to bacteremia and sepsis in pregnant women, and pathogenic bacteria can cause intrauterine infection in the fetus through the placenta. Therefore, a good overall oral health care before pregnancy will not only help the mother-to-be’s own health, but also help the baby’s healthy development. 3. Why is it easy to have oral problems during pregnancy? This is mainly due to the following two factors Changes in estrogen in women’s bodies: the main cells of gum tissue are fibroblasts, and estrogen can promote fibroblast proliferation. High levels of estrogen in women’s bodies stimulate gum fibroblast proliferation during pregnancy, inducing or aggravating gingivitis. At the same time, high levels of progesterone promote the expansion of gingival capillaries and increase permeability, which can also trigger or aggravate gingivitis. If left untreated, gingivitis can develop into a more serious gum disease, periodontitis. Women’s eating habits change during pregnancy: the number of eating increases during pregnancy, and they love to eat sour food or dessert, some like to eat late night, if they don’t pay attention to oral hygiene, the residual food residue will easily occur caries or aggravate the degree of caries. 4. What is the effect of dental disease on the fetus during pregnancy? According to the research report of American Academy of Periodontology, pregnant women with serious periodontal diseases, such as gingivitis and periodontitis, are seven times more likely to have miscarriage, premature birth or low birth weight babies than pregnant women with normal oral health. Improper management of periodontal infections in pregnant women may lead to oral pathogenic bacterial infections, which in turn may cause fetal infections and lead to a series of adverse pregnancy outcomes for the fetus. 5. What are the common dental diseases during pregnancy? Gingivitis: Gingivitis manifests as bleeding, redness, swelling and pain in the gums. Gingivitis can be caused by bacterial infection, foreign body irritation and food impaction, and is usually dominated by bacterial infection. The peak incidence of gingivitis during pregnancy is during the first and last trimester of pregnancy. Periodontitis: Periodontitis is a chronic infectious disease involving the four periodontal supporting tissues (gingiva, periodontal membrane, alveolar bone and dental bone) and is a serious gum disease. Bacterial infection is usually the main cause. Untreated periodontitis often triggers inflammatory destruction of periodontal supporting tissues. Pregnancy gingival tumor: a tumor-like proliferation of gingival tissue without the structures characteristic of a tumor, and therefore not a true tumor. Gingival tumors are proliferations formed by mechanical and chronic inflammatory stimuli, and are associated with estrogen and progesterone levels. Pregnancy gingival tumor usually fades after 2 months after delivery. Dental caries: Dental caries is a progressive disease of the hard tissues of teeth caused by a combination of factors in the oral cavity. Most pregnant women love to eat dessert and acidic food, plus the increase of eating frequency, food residue residue is easy to induce or aggravate tooth decay. Wisdom tooth pericoronitis: Wisdom tooth is the last molar in the mouth. The eruption of this molar is often obstructed by the jawbone and other teeth, so it cannot erupt completely, resulting in part of the tooth being covered by the gum, which is called “blind pocket” in medical science. The “blind pocket” is prone to accumulation of food debris, leading to bacterial growth and reproduction causing acute and chronic inflammation, commonly referred to as “pericoronitis” of the wisdom teeth. 6. Can I use painkillers when I have toothache during pregnancy? Toothache seriously affects the mood, sleep and food of pregnant women, so painkillers are needed when necessary. Choose painkillers that are not harmful to the fetus, such as aspirin, etc. Be sure to use painkillers under the guidance of your dentist and obstetrician. 7. Can I take antibiotics for gingivitis, periodontitis and other infectious diseases that occur during pregnancy? Gingivitis, periodontitis and other oral infectious diseases, the pathogens can cause fetal infection in utero through the placenta, and the harm to the fetus far exceeds the harm caused by antibiotics to the fetus through the placenta, so it is recommended that pregnant women take antibiotics other than tetracycline, chloramphenicol and streptomycin when dental infectious diseases occur. 8. Will X-rays taken during dental check-ups during pregnancy cause harm to the fetus? According to the research data, the fetus will not be affected if the dose of X-ray exposure is less than 5 rad. Fetal health problems can only occur if the fetus is exposed to doses higher than 10 rad. Routine dental x-ray, head x-ray, extremity x-ray, and chest x-ray doses well below 5 rad do not affect the fetus. The dentist only performs X-rays for necessary oral examinations and treatments, and the dose of radiation is about 0.004 rad for the cranial slices of the pregnant woman, plus a lead suit is used to protect the abdomen during the exposure, which basically protects the pregnant woman and the fetus from radiation. 9. Will there be calcium loss in the teeth during pregnancy? Some people believe that the calcium in the teeth of pregnant women will be absorbed by the fetus in the womb, resulting in the loss of calcium in the teeth themselves. In fact, calcium in the teeth exists in a crystalline state, and the developed teeth will not participate in the metabolism of calcium in the body. However, when a pregnant woman is severely deficient in calcium, the metabolic effect leads to bone decalcification, including alveolar bone decalcification, causing loose teeth. 10. Do gingival tumors of pregnancy require surgical removal? Gum tumors that occur during pregnancy will stop growing and gradually shrink after delivery. Mild gum tumors can be reduced by removing plaque and treating gum inflammation promptly. If gingival tumors occurring during pregnancy rapidly increase in size and cover part of the tooth surface and alveolar process, seriously interfering with chewing, repeated biting or excessive bleeding, removal can be considered, but they are prone to recurrence after surgery. 11. How do I treat dental diseases that occur during pregnancy? General dental diseases are treated conservatively, but if surgical treatment is necessary, it will be decided according to the condition of the pregnant woman and the duration of her pregnancy. Tooth extraction, deep periodontal treatment and apical surgery are not suitable during the whole pregnancy period. This is because of the long duration of the procedure, the emotional and physical stress caused to the pregnant woman, as well as the prolonged supine position that compresses the blood vessels and affects the blood supply to the fetus. Early Pregnancy: This period of the first trimester is the stage of embryonic organ formation and is most vulnerable to external factors. If dental disease occurs during this period, the anxiety caused by toothache may have an adverse effect on both the fetus and the pregnant woman, and is generally treated temporarily and conservatively. Mid-pregnancy: From the fourth to the sixth month of pregnancy, dental procedures such as scaling and filling of cavities can be done in a small and short procedure. Second trimester: The second trimester of pregnancy is not suitable for prolonged dental treatment as the uterus is prone to early contractions caused by external stimuli, leading to preterm labor. Dental surgical treatment is performed in supine position, during long time surgery, the enlarged uterus in late pregnancy presses to the crest when the pregnant woman is lying on her back, so that the large blood vessels on both sides of the crest are pressed and the blood cannot flow smoothly to the heart, which reduces the amount of blood return to the heart, and if she lies on her back for too long, the pregnant woman will experience symptoms of supine syndrome such as dizziness, panic, chills, sweating, decreased blood pressure, confusion and difficulty in whistling. At the same time, the pregnant woman’s blood return decreases, the blood transfusion to the whole body decreases, and the blood supply to the uterus also decreases, which affects the fetal blood supply and in serious cases leads to fetal hypoxia endangering fetal life. Therefore, for safety reasons, dental diseases are treated conservatively in the second trimester of pregnancy, and dental procedures are performed after delivery. 12. What can be done to help prevent dental health problems in pregnant women? Comprehensive oral examination before pregnancy: Go to a regular hospital for a comprehensive oral examination and oral health care before pregnancy, and treat oral diseases thoroughly. This will allow you to have a healthy oral environment before pregnancy to avoid the pain of hormonal changes during pregnancy and other factors that can aggravate existing dental problems but make it difficult to use medication. Regular oral examination during pregnancy: Regular oral examination during pregnancy can detect and treat dental diseases in time to avoid aggravation of diseases affecting the physical and mental health of pregnant women and fetuses. Rinse your mouth after eating: Pregnant women eat more often and like to eat sweet and sour food, so if you do not rinse your mouth in time after eating, food residues will easily corrode your teeth. In order to protect teeth, it is recommended to eat less sugary food and rinse your mouth with water after eating. Logistic rinsing: When you vomit repeatedly during pregnancy, the vomit often contains stomach acid, which will harm your teeth if you do not rinse your mouth in time. Insist on brushing your teeth carefully every day: Brush your teeth every morning and evening. Use a soft-bristled health care toothbrush and a toothpaste containing the right amount of fluoride. Brush your teeth for 3 minutes each time using the “pasteurized brushing method”. Choose a functional toothpaste to relieve dental discomfort: If you have bleeding or edema, use a herbal toothpaste with anti-inflammatory properties to stop bleeding. Floss to help clean teeth: Floss is a very ideal tool for cleaning teeth, mostly made of nylon, polyester or silk thread, to remove food residue and soft scale from the teeth where toothbrushes cannot easily reach. When using dental floss should not be too thick or too thin, often knocking teeth to make teeth strong: up and down knocking action can not only enhance the solidity of the teeth, but also increase the amount of oral saliva secretion, in which the lysozyme has a bactericidal, teeth cleaning effect. Eat more coarse fiber food: When eating coarse fiber food, it can make chewing time longer and chewing force increase, which can produce normal physiological stimulation to periodontal tissues, which is good for teeth strengthening. At the same time, rough food has a greater friction force on the tooth surface, which is conducive to cleaning the plaque adhering to the tooth surface and reducing the occurrence of caries. Such as celery, apples, pears, tortillas, etc. are good for dental health. Eat more fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C: Insufficient supply of vitamin C during pregnancy makes the gums bleed easily. Foods rich in vitamin C should be added to the diet. For example, tomatoes, citrus and green peppers are foods rich in vitamin C.