Dental Care and Pregnancy: What Patients Should Know
At Brooklyn Heights Dental®, we pride ourselves on providing patients with the finest dental care possible. This includes advanced general dentistry services that enhance dental health and wellness. These concerns about overall wellness are important for women who are pregnant or are about to become pregnant. Let's go over these issues right now.
Can my dental health affect the health of my baby?
To some extent, yes. Studies have shown interesting correlations between poor dental health (gum disease in particular) and premature births as well as other issues with pregnancy. The reason for this is that general wellness and dental health tend to be tied together, which means that gum disease might signal another issue with overall health and wellness.
Because of this, it's always ideal to have the best dental health possible, before pregnancy, during pregnancy, and after having your child.
Dental Treatment Before Getting Pregnant
If you are planning to become pregnant (e.g., working at a child with your partner, undergoing fertility treatments), it's a good idea to stop by the practice if you don't have a routine checkup coming up. This will allow us to perform any major dental treatments that might be pressing matters before you become pregnant.
Dental Care Services During Pregnancy
During pregnancy, patients should visit their dentist for routine checkups as scheduled. Be sure to tell you dentist if you are taking any fertility drugs or any medications/supplements for fetal health and your pregnancy. It's important to also note how far along you are with your pregnancy.
General dental care will be performed as well as certain minor restorative treatments. In many cases, more involved restorative treatments will be delayed until after pregnancy unless there is a major dental health emergency to address.
Will dental x-rays be taken during pregnancy?
For the safety of the developing child, dental x-rays are usually not taken during pregnancy. This is simply a precaution that is common sense even though radiation exposure during dental x-rays is safe and very low.
In the case of major dental health emergencies in which x-rays are necessary, all precautions will be taken to prevent exposure of radiation to the torso and abdominal area.
Dental Care After Childbirth
After pregnancy, patients can undergo any major dental work that was delayed during pregnancy. It's basically back to business as usual, with x-rays able to be taken and major procedures able to be performed without any additional concerns regarding overall health and wellness.
When should I bring my child in for a visit?
It's a good idea to bring your baby to his or her first dental visit within six months of the emergence of the first baby tooth. This will allow your child to have his or her dental health monitored as more baby teeth come in. Your dentist will also be able to give you some great advice on how to care for your infant's dental health during these crucial early years.
Contact Brooklyn Heights Dental®
To learn more about dental care treatment during pregnancy and how we can help you have a beautiful smile that's healthy as well, be sure to schedule a consultation at our cosmetic and restorative dentistry center today. At Brooklyn Heights Dental®, we will help you have great dental health for the years ahead.