Periodontal Disease and Pregnancy
While periodontal disease may not seem to raise a lot of red flags during pregnancy, it is one thing you must never ignore. About 1/3 of pregnant women in the US alone suffer from periodontal disease, ranging from maternal gingivitis to periodontitis. While some may think it’s no cause for alarm, it is something you should treat before it gets worse. There are studies linking periodontal disease with low birth weight, preeclampsia, premature birth and other pregnancy related complications. To top it all off, pregnant women with periodontal disease are also more susceptible to cardiovascular diseases. It could also increase the chances of your child having diabetes later in life.
So what links periodontal diseases to pregnancy related complications? One explanation could be is that the infection in the mouth could enter the bloodstream and reach the placental membranes. This could then result to preeclampsia or hypertension during pregnancy. Another link between pregnancy related issues and periodontal diseases would be the bacteria and toxins that causes periodontal diseases could trigger forced labor, thus causing premature birth. A research done in the link between periodontal diseases and pregnancy related complications have found elevated amounts of antibodies in the fetal cord blood samples of infants with low birth weight or are born prematurely, thus supporting the aforementioned theory.
But with all these said, is periodontitis treatment safe? According to research, treatment for periodontal diseases will not cause adverse effects on your pregnancy. As a matter of fact, it is necessary in order to steer your unborn child away from the complications which may arise from periodontal disease. You can consult your dentist on the best way to treat periodontal diseases during your pregnancy. Depending on the severity of your gum disease, your dentist may advice you to treat it with regular brushing, flossing and gargling with a safe antiseptic mouthwash. He or she may even prescribe medication which could reverse the infection and its effect.
Otherwise, the dentist may advice a periodontal disease treatment which is more intrusive to remove the plaque and tartar deposits beneath the gum line. However, there are some surgeries which will have to wait until after the pregnancy due to the pain and complications associated with these operations. Your dentist may be able to assess the best way to treat advanced periodontitis during pregnancy. They may also prescribe medication which will aid in the healing of the infected gum tissue to prevent re-infection as well as boost tissue repair. You may also need to change your diet by lessening sugar.