Ensuring Dental Health during Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a delicate moment during which it is advisable to be more cautious when it comes to dental treatments. The most concern that pregnant women have is over the safety of the treatments for the child. Below we discuss whether it is safe to undergo a dental procedure while pregnant.

Dental Procedure During
Pregnancy

What would happen if an expectant mother needed dental surgery? Is it safe to go for dental procedures while pregnant? The answer is: it depends. If a pregnant woman suffers from toothache or needs to undergo a certain dental operation, the first thing they should do is contact a dentist for expert advice. Much will depend both on the severity of the problem and the month of pregnancy. However, if the diagnosis is serious and the condition likely to worsen in the short term, it is advisable to intervene immediately to avoid complications.

It should be remembered that some dental conditions if neglected or postponed, could not only bring serious problems to the mother, but also the fetus. Among other things, hormonal disruption during pregnancy could cause dental problems, therefore it is always important to ask a trusted dentist for advice. Research has shown that hormonal, vascular, and immunological changes associated with pregnancy can generate problems at the level of the gingival tissues. Therefore, the expectant mother may have, in the case of dental treatment, a different inflammatory response than that of a patient not pregnant. Hormonal changes not only increase bacteria but could also trigger an abnormal immune response, while elevated estrogen levels could cause changes in the oral mucosa. Because of this, in the event of surgery, the gingival response could be altered compared to the norm and require some extra precautions.

Having said that, is it possible to have dental surgery during pregnancy? It depends on the type of intervention and above all on the invasiveness of the same, a decisive element for the choice of the type of anesthesia. Usually, except for the first three months in which it would be good to avoid any type of dental treatment, expectant mothers tolerate, in most cases, local anesthesia. However, x-rays and the use of vasoconstrictor drugs should be avoided. Each case will therefore be evaluated individually with a dentist. They will then advise the future mother if she can undergo dental surgery or not, explaining to her the precautions necessary to guarantee the mother’s and the child’s health.