Preventing And Coping With Periodontal Disease During Pregnancy

Posted on: 25 February 2015

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If you are pregnant in addition to getting regular checkups from your obstetrician, you should also visit your dentist. Pregnancy causes several hormonal changes and this can put you at a greater risk for gum disease. Gum disease will not only affect you, but it will also affect the child you are carrying. Understanding how gum disease affects pregnancy and how you can prevent and cope with it is the best way to have a safe and healthy pregnancy.

Why is gum disease dangerous during pregnancy?

Gum disease is a bacterial infection that causes the tissue of the gums to become inflamed. This bacterial infection can cause your teeth to become loose and even fall out in severe cases. A serious gum infection will spread to the blood stream and this infection will be passed on to the baby that you are carrying. An infection such as this may cause your baby to be born prematurely.

What are the major signs of gum disease during pregnancy?

The signs of gum disease during pregnancy are similar to those that women who are not pregnant have. These include:

  • Persistent bad breath
  • Bleeding when you floss or brush
  • Soreness and redness of the gums

If you have any of these symptoms, then you should visit your dentist immediately.

Are there any natural remedies that I can use to help stop or prevent the spread of gum disease while pregnant?

In addition to visiting your dentist, you can try oil pulling during pregnancy to prevent or speed up the removal of a gum infection. One of the best oils for oil pulling is coconut oil, because it has antibacterial properties. Oil pulling is simple, easy and safe during pregnancy. Follow these instructions when oil pulling.

  1. Get a tablespoon of coconut oil.
  2. Place the coconut oil into your mouth.
  3. Swish the coconut oil around in your mouth for five to twenty minutes, while making sure you don't swallow any of the oil.
  4. After five to twenty minutes has passed, spit out the coconut oil.
  5. Brush your teeth as you normally would.

Oil pulling with coconut oil has the added benefit of helping to whiten your teeth. This is because coconut oil helps to remove the bacteria in plaque that causes teeth to yellow.

If you are pregnant and have gum disease, you should act quickly by visiting your dentist or periodontist like one from Shenandoah Valley Implant Institute, in addition to using oil pulling so that you can prevent any complications during pregnancy.