When you are pregnant, it's important that your body is kept healthy in every way, including your oral health. That's why you should consider these 5 tips that will help you maintain good dental hygiene that can affect you and your baby.

Attend Your Semi-Annual Dental Appointments

Having your teeth cleaned and inspected is completely safe, and your OGBYN will agree that you should not skip cleanings during your pregnancy.  This is because hormonal changes can put pregnant women at a high risk of getting gum irritation and tooth decay. 

You should put off having any x-rays taken unless they are necessary.  It's okay if you have an emergency that requires you to get an x-ray, because your dentist will take extreme care when doing so.  You should avoid any non-essential x-ray that are a part of a regular checkup though.

Schedule Dental Work In Your Second Trimester

Since your first trimester can be filled with fatigue and nausea, it can make spending extended time having dental work performed on you feel unbearable.  Your third trimester makes it difficult and uncomfortable to be reclined while laying on your back.  This is why your second trimester will be the best time to have any necessary dental work done since you can recline comfortably with reduced nausea.

Avoid Elective Procedures

In addition to comfort issues, you should avoid having any sort of elective dental procedure done due to the potential risk it could cause to the baby.  For example, when it comes to teeth whitening, the ADA suggests deferring these types of procedures. There are questions regarding how safe peroxides are to a baby due to tissue damage, and it is simply not worth the risk when you can put it off until after the baby arrives.

Minimize Stress When Possible

It's important for pregnant woman to minimize stress whenever possible, but a dentist appointment can be a very stressful experience for some people.  Do not be afraid to let your dentist know, and to bring in a blanket, soothing music, or anything necessary to make you less stressed for your appointment. 

Try Different Dental Products

You may discover that flavored toothpaste is causing you to have nausea during your first trimester, or that floss is making you gag.  Try switching over to unflavored toothpaste and dental picks that are less nausea inducing to you.

For more information, contact Louisville Family Dental or a similar location.