• Skip to content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Shop ModernMom
  • Become An Insider

ModernMom

The premiere destination for moms

  • Parenting
    • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Kids
    • Tweens and Teens
    • ModernMom Monday Videos
  • Cooking
  • Living Healthy
    • Breast Cancer
    • Health & Fitness
    • Body after Baby
    • Beauty
    • Relationships
    • Love
  • Lifestyle
    • Crafts
    • At Home
    • Education
    • Travel
    • Pets
    • Decorate
    • Money
    • Brooke Burke
  • Celebrate
    • Holidays
      • Easter
      • Valentine’s Day
      • New Year’s
      • Christmas
      • Hanukah
      • Halloween
      • Thanksgiving
    • Birthdays
    • Parties
  • Must Have
  • Contests
  • Entertainment

Dental Cleaning During Pregnancy

February 1, 2011 by ds_11604 Leave a Comment

Activities that are often part of your normal routine — eating sushi, coloring your hair or riding your bike — may be potentially dangerous when you’re pregnant. In fact, so many things are potential risks during pregnancy that it’s easy to become paranoid about safe activities like getting your teeth cleaned.

Identification

All adults should have their teeth cleaned every six months, so there’s a good chance your regular dental cleaning appointment will fall during your nine-month pregnancy. If it does, don’t reschedule. And if you haven’t had a dental cleaning in the last six months, go ahead and get one. Not only are dental cleanings safe during pregnancy, they’re also a good idea, according to the American Pregnancy Association.

Significance

Your gums may be susceptible to infection and gum disease at any time, but your risk increases when you’re pregnant, explains consumer health writer Deepi Brar on the CVS Health Resources website. During pregnancy, your blood volume may increase by as much as 50 percent, giving bacteria in your mouth plenty to feed on and increasing the sensitivity of your gums. As many as 50 percent of all pregnant women end up with gum infections known as pregnancy gingivitis during their pregnancies, says Brar.

Benefits

Regular dental care while you’re pregnant may help lower your risk for premature labor, says ob-gyn Thomas Bader on BabyCenter.com. There’s a link between inflammation and early uterine contractions, and the inflammation in your body caused by gum disease may be enough to trigger premature birth. Babies born early may have immediate serious medical and future developmental problems, and premature birth can also cause maternal health issues, explains Bader.

Considerations

Most routine X-rays can be put off until after you give birth, but if you have a serious dental problem that needs immediate attention, it’s very unlikely that a low level of radiation would cause a problem for your baby as long as your dentist takes the appropriate precautions, according to the American Pregnancy Association.

Warning

Though regular dental cleanings and necessary procedures are safe during pregnancy, save elective or cosmetic treatments — including teeth whitening — until after you give birth, recommends the American Pregnancy Association. Always let your dentist know that you’re pregnant.

Comments

comments

Filed Under: Parenting

About ds_11604

Holly Roberts is an award-winning health and fitness writer whose work has appeared in health, lifestyle and fitness magazines. Roberts has also worked as an editor for health association publications and medical journals. She has been a professional writer for more than 10 years and holds a B.A. in English and an M.A. in literature.

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Search

Tell a friend

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
ModernMom Boutique

ModernMom TV

Featured

Nursing Mothers Granted Tax Break

Great news! Nursing moms are getting a new tax break from … [Read More...] about Nursing Mothers Granted Tax Break

Must Have

STEM-related Toys to Include in Your Child’s Easter Basket This Year 

April has arrived which means it’s time to pull out the food … [Read More...] about STEM-related Toys to Include in Your Child’s Easter Basket This Year 

Did you know?

Coconut Oil

Why Coconut Oil Is So Good For Pregnant & Nursing Mothers

How to Even Out a Spray Tan That Left White Spots

How to Even Out a Spray Tan That Left White Spots

Signs of Water Breaking in Pregnancy

Signs of Water Breaking in Pregnancy

cooking with young children

Cooking With Young Children

10 foods to improve sperm count and quality

10 Foods to Improve Sperm Count and Quality

pregnant while not ovulating

Can I Get Pregnant While Not Ovulating?

average breast size of a woman

The Average Breast Size of a Woman

Footer

  • About Us
  • Contact ModernMom
  • Advertise With Us
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contributors

Copyright © 2022 Modern Mom. All Rights Reserved.

Reproduction of any portion of this website only at the express permission of Mom, Inc.

The information provided on ModernMom is for educational use only. It should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.