When a woman is pregnant, her body experiences some of the most adverse hormonal changes in her life. These physiological and hormonal dynamics often could have an impact on their dental health. One of the risks a woman is exposed to is an upturn in a periodontal pathogen, a bacterium that causes periodontitis.
With Periodontitis, both the mother and the newborn risk having health complications where the mother could experience a premature delivery, loose some of her teeth. At delivery, the baby could be born underweight that is less than 2.5Kg. As a pregnant woman, you should take good care of your health. Get your regular checkup done in our clinic. Know that your health is our priority IVF Sydney.
What is periodontal disease?
Also called gestational gingivitis is a dental inflammatory disease which is caused by pathogenic bacteria that assault gum tissues and bones around the teeth. When the condition goes untreated, it graduates to periodontitis.
Signs and symptoms;
- a reddish gum,
- gum becomes swollen
- some bleeding on the gum
If the condition gets to periodontitis, the pregnant mother begins to notice these symptoms
- Soft and lean gums
- Dental bone degeneration
- Shaky teeth
- Could end up losing some teeth
Statistical evidence reveals that the rate of periodontal disease prevalence stands at between 6- to 75 % among pregnant mothers. Further, more than half of the women who have had pre-gestational pregnancy, are at a higher risk of contracting periodontitis. Research has also shown that of all pregnant women, about 25% of them suffer from, periodontitis.
Preventive and Curative Recommendation
For every woman, whether you are currently expectant or planning to be, it is imperative that you take an intentional initiative to get regular dental healthcare. This will keep you off from periodontal diseases like gingivitis and periodontitis.
Consider visiting a dentist to have any plaques and calculus scalped from the teeth. The plaques could be supra-gingival or sub-gingival which require expert attention from your dentist. Regular brushing of your teeth should be a daily oral health practice to keep bacteria from accumulating on the teeth.
Prenatal dental clinics are recommended in case the mother of the unborn is already suffering from periodontal diseases. Plan a visit to a dental specialist for the proper treatment of the disease. Be careful about some treatment procedures like root planning and scaling. They are recommended to be done at around 14-20th week during pregnancy.
Clearly, there is a strong link between proper dental healthcare, periodontal diseases and pregnancy. It calls for alertness to be able to cure or better still to prevent this before or during pregnancy.
