Maternity brings about a whole set of new challenges, and our dentist in Cheshire is here to help you with a few of them.
Health and wellbeing become all the more important when you are pregnant, and we are sure you're getting blasted by a lot of advice from all sides. Our team at Willaston Dental Care aims to not add to your concerns but alleviate them.
You will likely experience changes within your mouth throughout your pregnancy and particularly during the third trimester. If you have experienced peaks in prostaglandins, the inflammation processes throughout your body may become exaggerated.
Pregnancy gingivitis
A common issue in pregnancy is gingivitis. There is a wide multitude of commensal bacteria that live in our mouths. Simply by taking space and denying resources to more insidious bacteria, commensal bacteria are important in maintaining good oral health. During this period of exaggerated inflammatory responses, the bacteria can easily aggravate your gums, resulting in swelling and an increase in gum permeability. This creates the opportunity for gingivitis to set in.
Along with the common gingivitis symptoms of bleeding gums when brushing, you may also experience general tenderness and a softening of the gums. There are several types of mouthwashes that we can prescribe so you do not have to put up with the discomfort, although it will likely resolve after birth. In the most severe cases, mild symptoms of gingivitis can develop into full-blown gum disease, which may not resolve by itself; therefore, it is better to nip it in the bud.
Pregnancy granulomas
Pregnancy granulomas are red growths that form on the gums. They are technically a form of tumour but are almost always benign. They come about due to interactions between inflammation and the mechanisms responsible for the formation of new blood vessels during pregnancy.
The formation of new blood vessels in the infant is extremely important, but the hormones do not stay restricted to the uterus, so inflamed gum tissue and new blood vessels will be created, resulting in highly vascular red growths, which can extend from the gums almost like a skin tag on the inside of your mouth.
These growths have a wide range of associated symptoms; some are painful to touch, others will split and bleed whereas a few may have no symptoms whatsoever but can get large enough to make eating uncomfortable. Pregnancy granulomas are rarely a risk to either you or your infant, and if they become inconvenient, they can be easily and safely removed.
Even during your pregnancy, we would recommend that you attend your regular checkups with our dentist in Cheshire. Whilst we would avoid the use of x-rays in general, there are a few dental procedures that cannot be carried out during pregnancy; your dental care will be important for your current and future health. For the duration of your pregnancy, you might be at higher risk of cavity formation simply due to the increased demands of calcium by the developing foetus.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact our dentist in Cheshire, and we will be happy to advise you. Congratulations and best of luck from all of us at Willaston Dental Care!