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Pregnancy and your baby's teeth
Pregnancy is a special time. With all the changes happening in a woman’s body, it is important to be conscious about dental health as well. Since teeth begin to form in the second month of pregnancy, a balanced diet with use of prenatal vitamins is critical for the development of healthy teeth. There are two common myths about pregnancy and teeth: “for every child, you lose a tooth” and “if you don’t get enough calcium during your pregnancy, your body takes it from your teeth”. Neither one is true. What causes tooth loss is NOT PREGNANCY but tooth decay. With proper attention to diet and oral hygiene throughout pregnancy, the mouth can stay healthy. Some medications taken during pregnancy can influence your baby's general health and his teeth. Make sure you inform your dentist of any prescription or over-the-counter drugs you are taking which may have side effects on your baby’s teeth.
If you are pregnant, be sure to visit your dentist regularly and have your teeth cleaned more often. Infection in your mouth or your teeth can affect your baby and untreated caries can increase your baby's susceptibility to tooth decay. Baby teeth—even as soon as they start appearing, at 6 months or so— can become infected with caries-causing bacteria transmitted from their mother’s saliva through food-tasting, pacifier-cleaning, and kisses. It’s also believed that this bacteria transfer to brand-new baby teeth will determine the child’s lifelong caries risk. Therefore, it is important to maintain a good oral hygiene. To help prevent tooth decay, brush twice a day with fluoride tooth paste. Make sure you floss daily to remove debris from between the teeth.Your dentist may even recommend antimicrobial mouth rinse such as chlorhexidine or products containing xylitol found in specific chewing gums and toothpastes. Xylitol is a sugar substitute found in trees, fruits and vegetables. It is approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a special dietary sweetener that is added to various products in a variety of concentrations. This unique substance directly affects the cavity-causing bacteria known as mutans streptococci by making them less adhesive to the teeth.
Taking good care of your mouth is important not just for your own sake, but also for the baby. If you have any concern, make sure you talk to your dentist.
Kids & Teens Dentistry
Dr. M. Nikoui and Associates
3 Larkspur Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K2H 6K8
Tel. (613) 820-8830
Fax (613) 820-8870
