Dental Health During & After Pregnancy During Pregnancy In Barnet, Rochester & Ashford, Kent

Dental Health During & After Pregnancy During Pregnancy

19 / 03 / 2021

During Pregnancy

Taking care of your teeth and gums is always important, especially during pregnancy. Dental health has a lot to do with our baby’s future dental health.
During pregnancy, some people may notice that their gums are sore and bleeding easily, this is known as pregnancy gingivitis and it can appear as early as the first three months of pregnancy.

An increase in hormones can exaggerate the way the gums great to plaque build-up. It’s the plaque, not your hormones levels that can lead to gum disease. Getting treatment now will make a difference in your health and the future health of your baby.Brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and floss every day will help you. If your last dental visit was more than six months ago, please schedule an appointment as soon as possible. Tell your dental clinic that you are pregnant and your due date, this will help them provide the best care for you.

What and how you eat is really important for you and your baby, it is all about a healthy diet. When you need to snack, try to choose foods that are nutritious for you and the baby. Your baby’s teeth start to develop between the third and six months of pregnancy. To help the teeth form correctly, they need enough vitamins minerals and other nutrients. It is essential to do your best to eat a variety of fruits, veggies and dairy products. It is important to staying away from foods that are high in sugar it is hard but it is for a good cause.

After Pregnancy

It is important to keep your mouth healthy as well as your baby’sBegin cleaning your baby’s mouth during the first few days by wiping the gums with a clean, damp piece of gauze or washcloth. It is important to remove as much bacteria as possible.

Did you know bacteria cause tooth decay? The babies can actually catch bacteria from the parents, so the parents have to keep their mouth as healthy as possible to avoid passing the bacteria to their baby.

Please do not share spoons or cups with your baby, try to sterilised everything that will touch your baby’s mouth. Even though baby teeth will eventually fall out, it’s important to take good care of them.

Baby teeth hold space in your child’s jaw for adult teeth. If a baby tooth is lost due to decay, permanent teeth can drift into the empty space and make it difficult for other teeth to come in. Decay can start as soon those teeth appear, especially when a baby’s teeth are in contact for long periods of time with sugary liquid like fruit juice, sweetened water, formula and even breast milk, it is called baby bottle tooth decay.
It can help if parents will not put their baby to bed with a bottle or sippy cup or use a bottle as a pacifier when the baby is fussy.

When do we expect to see first baby teeth?

Your baby’s first teeth will begin to appear as early as four to six months, the front two uppers and two lower teeth usually appear first. Most children have a full set of 20 baby teeth by the time they are three years old. The adult teeth start to appear at about age 6.

When teething begins and your baby’s gums are tender or sore, what can you do?

Gently rub your child’s gums with a clean finger, a cool teething ring or a wet gauze pad, but avoid gels or creams with benzocaine before age of two. These products are meant for adults and shouldn’t be given to babies without talking to your dentist or paediatrician.

Once those teeth start coming in, what is good for the parents is also good for your baby. Dentists recommend brushing baby’s teeth gently twice a day with a child-size toothbrush and water.

Please schedule your baby’s first trip to the dentist by at least that first birthday. Do not wait for your child to start school or until there’s a dental emergency to get used to visiting the dentist. When your child is a bit older, we’ll talk about flossing and starting to brush a small amount of fluoride toothpaste.

Getting into a routine early will put your baby on the right path to a healthy smile from the start.