Almost every woman is faced with the need for dental treatment during pregnancy. This is mainly due to the fact that the female body actively supplies the child with all the necessary useful trace elements for its development. While the expectant mother herself may suffer from a lack of vitamins. For this reason, the integrity of tooth enamel is violated due to the loss of calcium. In this case, microbes and bacteria are given complete expanse.
Each of us, sooner or later, came across a toothache and knows perfectly well what a difficult test it is. Moreover, not only on the physical level - how many nerves will go away before anyone decides to go to the dentist anyway. But many are afraid of this doctor. However, you do not need to torment yourself, especially pregnant women and, in order to avoid the appearance of caries and actually toothache, you need to be observed by an appropriate specialist.
Dental condition during pregnancy
Any pregnant woman has a global hormonal restructuring of the body. Due to the increasing progesterone, the blood supply to all tissues, including the gums, increases, which leads to their loosening. As a result, the risks of gingivitis, stomatitis, and exacerbation of caries increase. If you do not take care of your oral cavity, or when it comes to bad heredity, your teeth fall out. Enamel becomes more sensitive to the effects of hot, cold, acidic foods.
In addition, hormones affect the amount of saliva produced and its pH. It becomes more and more, and the balance shifts towards acidity. If no measures are taken, the bone structure is covered with hard coating, tartar is formed.
During the development of the child and as he grows, the demand for calcium increases, which goes to create his skeleton. And if calcium reserves are not enough, this element is taken from the mother. Moreover, the source, most often, is precisely the teeth. Therefore, in many women, enamel is destroyed.
Thus, the question of whether it is possible to treat teeth during pregnancy and how, disappears by itself. Of course, a specialist must be visited at least once every trimester or if there are complaints. The decision on dental treatment during pregnancy is made only by the dentist and in each case individually. It all depends on the problem that the expectant mother addressed and her condition. Manipulations are carried out right away or treatment is postponed for a certain period of time.
Toothache should not be ignored!
There is a folk tradition or myth according to which pregnant women need to endure toothache until the very birth. Anyone will question this, who can tolerate such hellish torment ?! Do not trust some beliefs - to treat teeth is not only allowed, but also recommended by many experts.
Under normal circumstances, toothache exposes any person to real torture, and what to say about pregnant women. For them, this is a lot of stress, which should be avoided in every way! For expectant mothers, pregnancy itself is already a difficult test. And, as many reviews say, dental treatment during pregnancy is simply necessary.
As it is now clear, due to a change in the hormonal background of the female body, the microflora of the oral cavity is no longer that: saliva no longer has protective properties, and therefore an attack from bacteria is inevitable. As for immunity, it is weakened and for this reason the appearance of various diseases in the oral cavity is a matter of time and attitude to oneself.
What is stomatitis, gingivitis and other diseases of this kind? These are the real foci of infection, which can freely penetrate into the tissues of the body and reach the fetus through the circulatory system. It hardly needs to be explained how this can all threaten.
If you do not pay attention to this situation in a timely manner, then the woman will have to undergo a serious course of treatment. A lack of calcium in the body leads to the formation of a weak skeleton and teeth.
State concern
Many mothers are interested in one question: is it possible to carry out dental treatment during pregnancy for free? While the child is developing, he needs vitamins and a large number of other useful trace elements. Actually, for this, a large part of the family budget is spent, which in many families is seriously limited.
And what if the expectant mother suddenly got a toothache? It’s definitely not worth panicking, because in almost every city there are state dental clinics where treatment for pregnant women is free of charge. Payment for such services is made from the state treasury.
What about anesthesia?
There is another important point - what to do with anesthesia, can it be used? Many expectant mothers are scared by the dental treatment procedure itself, which causes fear. Because of this, stress occurs, and the child always feels everything that his mother is exposed to. And this is bad for his health. A specialist with extensive experience will select the optimal anesthesia for a woman during dental treatment during pregnancy.
The same specialist knows very well that pregnant women are prohibited from general anesthesia, since this does not bode for serious consequences:
- Fatal outcome due to severe allergic reaction to general anesthesia.
- Miscarriage.
- Fetal rejection.
In this connection, doctors recommend using local anesthesia. She will allow not only mom to avoid unnecessary pain and, as a result of stress, but will be completely safe against the child. Many dental clinics use modern drugs. Their main advantage is that they localize the pain in a certain area without affecting other organs. Although the analgesic substance enters the bloodstream, it does not penetrate the placenta.
Resolved anesthesia
During the treatment of pregnant women, anesthesia is used if necessary. It was mentioned above that the use of general anesthesia is extremely undesirable due to dangerous consequences. For this reason, specialists use other methods. One of these is local anesthesia.
The dentist will apply anesthesia in the treatment of teeth during pregnancy, as a result of which part of the oral cavity is anesthetized. This method is considered the most effective and safe tool in the treatment or extraction of teeth.
Another option is sedation. In this case, the patient is put into a state of sleep, which helps to reduce anxiety. Only women in the situation should abandon the use of nitric oxide, Diazepam and other similar drugs. The best option is listening to music, acupuncture.
Admission to treatment
Not all oral diseases can be treated during pregnancy. Below is a list of those diseases for which there is no such prohibition:
- Caries.
- Periodontitis
- Pulpitis.
- Periodontitis.
- Gingivitis.
- Stomatitis.
Caries refers to an infectious disease, the development of which damages hard dental tissues - enamel and dentin. To carry out dental treatment during pregnancy, and to place fillings in this case is not prohibited. This will avoid more serious inflammation, not only in the mother, but also in the child.
During the course of periodontitis, gingival pockets form, which is a favorable environment for the habitat of most harmful microorganisms. Thus, this disease is a potential and dangerous source of infection that puts pregnancy at risk. Therefore, periodontitis must be treated as soon as possible, and regardless of the term.
Pulpitis is characterized by inflammation of the tooth nerve or pulp. At the same time, the woman feels acute pain. In this case, anesthesia is necessary to treat this disease.
Periodontitis is also an inflammatory process that proceeds in an acute form and is localized in the tissues that hold the teeth. If you do not take any action, subsequently this leads to intoxication of the body.
Gingivitis is accompanied by inflammation of the mucous membranes of the gums and also needs timely dental treatment during pregnancy.
With stomatitis, the mucous membranes of the oral cavity are affected. Many people do not take this dental disease seriously, considering it harmless. However, medicine cannot confirm this, therefore it is better to conduct treatment in a timely manner. Otherwise, there may be serious health problems.
What is undesirable to do
Now it’s worth touching on those procedures that in no case should be performed in dental clinics during pregnancy. In particular, we are talking about the following:
- Correct the bite by hardware.
- Remove tartar.
- Whiten teeth.
- To remove or treat a wisdom tooth.
- You can not do implantation - it is performed before pregnancy, which should be taken care of in advance, or after childbirth.
Such procedures must be postponed until the birth of the child, otherwise a variety of consequences are possible. And not for the better.
Is it safe to treat teeth during pregnancy?
Of course, however, not every woman, being in an “interesting position”, pays close attention to the oral cavity. But in vain! According to many dentists, it is in the interest of every mother, especially for young girls, to take care of their health, because now they are responsible not only for themselves, but also for their child.
Healthy teeth are a sure sign that the female body is all right. In this case, the development of the fetus will proceed without complications and deviations. To do this, you must adhere to simple rules of oral hygiene and then serious problems can be avoided.
I trimester
Here one thing is important - until the fertilized egg is fixed on the uterus, it is extremely undesirable to treat teeth. The visit to the dentist in most women causes excitement and, as a result, stress. In addition, anesthetics are used during the treatment procedure. All this provokes negative consequences in relation to the fetus, including the threat of miscarriage.
During the first trimester, dental treatment during pregnancy is undesirable. In particular, this applies to 8-12 weeks. Moreover, this applies to any dental intervention, which applies to fillings. It is better to postpone the procedure until a later date. However, cases of acute pain, pulpitis and periodontitis are exceptions to the rule, since they cannot be ignored.
As a good freezing agent, it is allowed to use Ultracain, which is completely safe for the child. But pregnant women should not use Lidocaine, although it is very popular in dentistry. Because of it, blood pressure rises and heart rate increases.
II trimester
At this period of pregnancy, the necessary dental procedures are not contraindicated. If a specialist does not identify serious risks, then treatment may be delayed until the baby is born. If caries is present and the focus is small, then you can do without an injection in the treatment of teeth during pregnancy. “Armed” with a drill, the dentist gently removes the affected tissue and closes the opening with a seal. Nerve endings will not be affected.
However, if a pregnant woman is bothered by severe toothache, accompanied by bleeding gums, treatment should be carried out immediately. Only a doctor can cope with the problem, thereby avoiding the appearance of various complications. With emergency treatment of the inflammatory process and acute pain, another modern anesthetic, Ortikon, is successfully used. The action of the drug is targeted, therefore, it does not penetrate the placenta.
III trimester
During this period of pregnancy, fetal growth is most intense, which affects the mother: fatigue increases. When the mother is in the supine position most of the time or takes a semi-sitting position, the fetus increases its pressure on the vena cava and the aorta. As a result, the heartbeat intensifies, migraine appears, in some cases, the mother may lose consciousness.
As for the reproductive organ, the sensitivity of the uterus increases, and exposure to almost any serious irritant can provoke premature birth. In this connection, dental treatment during pregnancy 3 trimesters is carried out only in emergency cases. It is recommended, whenever possible, to carry out manipulations until the moment 36 comes. These include:
- Irreversible processes when it comes to the immediate removal of dead tissue.
- The course of purulent inflammation.
- Acute pain.
As for pain, it is not recommended to endure it for pregnant women, since this leads to a stressful situation, which in turn has a bad effect on the hormonal background. Actually, this provokes a miscarriage.
Tooth extraction
Dentists rarely resort to tooth extraction in pregnant women. A similar procedure involves the extraction of a diseased tooth along with the root from the hole. Such an operation should be carried out only in an emergency with acute pain or severe inflammation.
Otherwise, if necessary, treatment and tooth extraction during pregnancy should be done for a period of 13 to 32 weeks. In this case, the fetus is formed, the woman’s immunity is already normal, and her psychological state is more stable.
But, as for the wisdom tooth, its removal to future mothers is contraindicated. Otherwise, serious complications cannot be avoided:
- malaise;
- temperature rise;
- increase in pressure;
- the appearance of pain in the ears, lymph nodes;
- it becomes difficult to swallow.
All these symptoms adversely affect the health of the child. For this reason, even at the planning stage, the baby needs to visit the dentist and, if there are problems with the wisdom tooth, solve them before conception.
Features of dental treatment during pregnancy or existing myths
There are some myths, or so-called popular beliefs, regarding whether or not pregnant women should be able to treat their teeth. Consider the most popular cases:
- Due to dental treatment, the fetus develops poorly.
- Expectant mothers are not contraindicated in any dental procedure.
- Pregnant women should not be treated with anesthesia.
- Never resort to an x-ray!
The first myth in our time is no longer relevant. Pain in the teeth indicates the occurrence of undesirable processes in the oral cavity. This is not only the delivery of discomfort and pain, mainly an infectious focus is formed, which does not lead to anything good! In addition, many clinics use modern equipment and anesthesia, which allows you to save both mom and baby.
The second myth is also fundamentally wrong. Some dental procedures jeopardize the development of the baby. For example, during bleaching, special chemical cleansers are used. During implantation, there is a risk of rejection of the implant by the fetus. Dental treatment during pregnancy is also contraindicated when funds are used that include arsenic and adrenaline.
The third myth is true, but with regard to anesthesia of the past generation. At that time, Novocaine was part of the product, which is incompatible with the placenta and, once in the mother’s blood, the substance reached the fetus and adversely affected its development. Modern anesthesia is an articaine group of anesthetics that is completely harmless to pregnant women and their unborn children.
As for the fourth myth, now everything is somewhat different. In modern dental clinics, specialists no longer use film equipment - they were replaced by radiovisiographs that do not have film. Their power is below the acceptable safety threshold. Moreover, the radiation is directed precisely to the root of the tooth, and the procedure itself does not do without a lead apron, which protects the child in the womb from unwanted rays.
As you can see, most of these myths are not worth our attention, medicine has advanced and now expectant mothers do not need to worry about whether to treat their teeth or not. In particular, one should not listen to “knowledgeable specialists” who will only harm their advice. And, as is now clear, a successful period for dental treatment during pregnancy is 2 trimester. The child is not in danger.