Can/Should You Go To The Dentist While Pregnant?

Yes, absolutely because dental visits will help keep you and your baby safe.

Although your life becomes busy with trips to your obstetrician, baby showers, and decorating the nursery, your regular cleanings and dental exams become even more critical once you are pregnant because your oral health impact your overall health and the health of your baby.

• Safety Concerns
• What Additional Measures Does the Practice Take to Ensure Safety?
• What Dental Work Should Be Considered During Pregnancy?
• What Anesthetics Are Safe During Pregnancy?
• Are X-rays Safe During Pregnancy?
• How Does Dental Health Impact Pregnancy
• What Oral Health Problems Can Develop During Pregnancy?
  • Gingivitis
  • Stained teeth
  • Dysgeusia
  • Ptyalism
  • Diabetes
  • Food cravings
• When Is the Best Time To Have A Dental Visit While Pregnant?
• Conclusion

A study released by the ADA reported that less than 1% of dentists were positive for COVID-19. Although this report surprised many because experts assumed positivity rates would be higher in dental offices, this good news was expected by those in the profession.

Dentists have always practiced impeccable infection controls, even before the pandemic. For years our office staff have worn gloves, masks, and personal protective equipment (PPE), used disposables, sterilized all instruments using multi-parameter indicators, disinfected countertops/surfaces, and employed patient safety glasses.

Although all facilities upped their sanitation practices to comply with COVID mandates, in general even before the pandemic, dental offices practiced optimal infection and safety controls and the low transmission rates reflect this.

Learn more about how our practice handles infection control

Dr. Chan and his staff strive to keep patients safe. That is why our office has extra precautions in place to help stop the spread

When you arrive at our office, we ask you to wait in your car to limit the number of patients inside at a time. We request you wear a mask until seated in the dental chair.

All patients must pass a temperature check and respond to a COVID-19 screening before their appointment. Also, we provide hand sanitizer and ask you to wash your hands frequently.

Our staff will be wearing additional personal protection equipment, such as face shields, hair covers. For certain procedures, high volume air filtration and suction HEPA and Ulta units will be utilized to filter out airborne contaminants. You may notice one in the reception room.

Pandemic or not, Dr. Chan wants to make sure you always have a beautiful, healthy smile. Whether you have a specific concern or just want to schedule dental prophylaxis (cleaning), our entire staff will go above and beyond to keep you safe and comfortable at all times.

Dr. Chan will explain and help you to differentiate which cateogory your needs fall into and what will be best for you.

Mepivicaine HCl 3% with or without vasoconstrictor, is often used for pregnant patients because it is short-acting.

Whenever a pregnant patient presents with the need for dental treatment including providing local anesthesia, Dr. Chan always assesses the individual’s current physiological and psychological status prior to proceeding.

Instead, we take only one or two single radiographs to further minimize any exposure to the developing fetus.

As has been Dr. Chan’s philosophy throughout his dental career, he is conservative and conscientious in practice.

Infections in the mother, such as tooth decay and gum disease, can pose a risk to your baby’s health. Current research shows an undeniably strong correlation between the existence of gum disease and inducing early labor, premature births, and underweight babies.

Untreated, this can progress to more severe forms of periodontal disease and can potentially result in permanently losing both supportive bone and gum tissue around teeth, in tooth decay, and eventual tooth loss.

Fortunately, regular brushing, flossing, dental check-ups, and possibly more frequent visits during pregnancy can help you manage this condition.

• Although Iron supplements help to support your growing baby, these supplements can cause dark spots on your teeth. Instead, drinking the liquid form through a straw or mixing it with water or fruit juice, or taking it in pill form will help keep the supplement staining your teeth.
• Chlorhexidine mouthwash is typically prescribed to treat gum disease but can cause brown stains. Avoid consuming other dark foods and beverages while using this mouthwash
• Tetracycline, a commonly used antibiotic, is absorbed through the placenta to the developing fetus. It can affect developing baby’s teeth and cause permanent dark grey or brown staining when the baby’s teeth erupt later

The condition is temporary and is linked to changing hormones and water retention which affect your taste buds.

You may find it helpful to chew sugarless gum or suck on sugarless sweets to help with any metallic aftertaste you are experiencing. If you like spicy foods, the spiciness often offsets the metallic taste.

While the links between pregnancy and ptyalism are still unclear, there are several things you can do to ease any discomfort, including regularly sipping on water, eating a balanced diet, and reducing meal size.

Other ways to alleviate excess saliva include, increasing meal frequency, chewing sugar-free gum, and continuing to follow a dental health regimen.

In other studies those with diabetes have been shown to have a genetic predisposition to gum disease.

Since pregnancy can lead to an increased risk of gingivitis, careful monitoring of your oral health is particularly crucial if you have diabetes and are, or considering becoming, pregnant.