12 Tips For Oral Hygiene During Pregnancy

Oral hygiene should improve considerably in pregnancy, since our health is compromised due to different factors. For example, hormonal changes are known to make the gums more sensitive. In addition, constant nausea and vomiting can damage tooth enamel due to contact with gastric juices.

In the same way, the frequent discomfort causes our hygiene to be complicated. Can we brush our teeth every time we vomit? As much as we try it is not possible if nausea appears all the time. This flow caused by the aforementioned discomfort can also cause the appearance of lesions in the mouth.

Despite how complicated it can be, it is imperative that we worry about this. Here we explain how to act to take care of your oral health in pregnancy.

What do we want to prevent?

The diseases related to oral health are many more than we imagine. Not all the time it happens that we get sick during pregnancy, but the consequences of this stage can appear later.

On the other hand, not only periodontal problems should be avoided, as some women find it difficult to brush their teeth when they are pregnant. This fact is known as severe hyperemesis gravidarum, where  the patient is affected by nausea and vomiting just by perceiving odors. Sometimes the toothpaste and the toothbrush in your mouth cause nausea, which prevents proper hygiene.

In this sense, the recommendation is to prevent severe episodes from occurring frequently. All this with the purpose of improving the quality of life of women, in addition to preventing oral hygiene from being compromised.

How to carry out oral hygiene during pregnancy?

The following tips can help you improve your oral health and prevent periodontal disease from pregnancy. If brushing your teeth is a problem because the foam in your mouth makes you vomit, or if the smell of toothpaste makes you nauseous, the following tips may help:

• Try to brush your teeth at the time of day when you feel best
• Try to use a toothpaste that contains fluoride
• Do not stop using dental floss, which will help you remove as much debris as possible without having to go through the torture of brushing

• In some cases, the woman feels worse when rinsing after brushing, if so, avoid it. Remove the paste residue and wait to rinse when you feel better
• Avoid brushing immediately after vomiting  because the acids will have softened the enamel on your teeth, making your teeth more sensitive. It is recommended to wait a period of approximately 20 minutes before brushing
• After having gone through the episodes of hyperemesis gravidarum, it is better to rinse with fluoride or simply with water
• Choose a toothpaste that has a mild smell and taste. There are neutral products on the market with less foaming agent. However, it is advisable to continue with it, unless it causes you repulsion
• Sometimes it’s just the paste that bothers us or it’s the brush. Specialists recommend that if necessary, we dispense with what affects us. We can brush without paste, just with the brush, to remove the accumulated tartar. You can also avoid brushing, using your fingers or gauze with paste

• Try using a brush with a soft and not very large head. You may want to try which one suits you best. Also experiment with an electric one, sometimes they tend to act more effectively
• Begin brushing through your front teeth to avoid the toothpaste’s next contact with your taste buds.

• At this stage you will feel hungry more often, therefore, you will be eating sandwiches and snacks, all day. In these cases, it is necessary to keep the teeth clean. To do this, it is recommended to chew sugar-free gum, preferably containing xylitol, which helps fight plaque.
• To drink sugary drinks it is advisable to use a straw or reed, which avoids direct contact of the food with the teeth

• Don’t stop visiting your dentist during pregnancy. Oral hygiene is very important, especially if you are prone to cavities.