Your Oral Health and Pregnancy
If you’re pregnant, you’re probably taking vitamins, eating a healthy diet, getting plenty of exercise and seeing your doctor regularly to ensure your baby’s health. But have you made time for your oral health? Women who are pregnant are often at risk for pregnancy gingivitis, a form of periodontal (gum) disease recently linked to low birth-weight/premature babies.*
Your increased risk for periodontal disease comes from changes in hormone levels that increase the blood flow to gum tissue. As a result, your gums become more sensitive and vulnerable to irritation and swelling. At the same time, your body’s normal response to the bacteria that cause periodontal infections is decreased. Gingivitis usually starts during the second to third month of pregnancy and can become more serious through the eighth month.
While a direct connection has yet to be established, more studies are finding a link between periodontal disease and low birth-weight/premature babies.* Be sure to maintain your oral health care regimen during pregnancy for a happy baby and a healthy you!
* Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General, 2000.
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