Gum bleeding in pregnancy

Pregnancy is a time of great excitement and anticipation. For nine months, women get to experience the growth and development of a new life inside of them. Nine months might seem long to wait to meet someone, but it’s a short time for life. When viewing those nine months as brief, it’s clear that certain changes happen rapidly. While a growing abdomen is an obvious change, drastic hormonal fluctuations also occur. The hormones that develop the placenta affect oral health as well.

Inside the mouth are millions of bacteria that naturally take up residence on any given day. Oral bacteria are meant to be helpful. After you eat a meal, snack, or drink anything other than water, tiny particles remain in your mouth. Oral bacteria congregate around these particles and begin to break them down so that they do not linger for too long. However, their “helpfulness” quickly turns to harm as the bacteria begin producing acids to help their work go by faster. Acids eat their way through whatever is in their path, this being the tooth enamel and gum tissues inside the mouth. When acid-producing bacteria irritate the gums, it becomes a significant issue for pregnant women.

During pregnancy, the huge hormonal fluctuations that occur affect the tissues inside the mouth. Gingivitis is the earliest form of gum disease that causes tender, sore, and bleeding gums. If you don’t promptly treat gingivitis during pregnancy, it can quickly progress to a more serious form of gum disease. This can happen rapidly due to significant hormonal fluctuations. With the mouth already vulnerable, oral health issues become very serious because gum disease has been directly related to the following complications:

• Miscarriage
• Preterm labor
• Low birthweight babies

At Westinghouse Dental, we offer exceptional dental care for expectant mothers. Dentistry is safe for pregnant women, and can often provide a healthier pregnancy. If you are expecting or planning to become pregnant, please contact our practice to schedule an appointment for a thorough exam and cleaning.