Preventing & Treating Gingivitis During Pregnancy

Gingivitis during Pregnancy is a very common condition. Gingivitis is an inflammation of the gum tissue. During pregnancy, the possibility of getting gingivitis increases for a variety of reasons. Some of the reasons a woman is more likely to get gingivitis during pregnancy are an increase in hormones, most likely progesterone, not brushing teeth often enough, not flossing teeth often enough,and poor diet. When a woman is pregnant, a build-up of plaque is over-reacted to by the woman's body, and this can cause the gingivitis.

The symptoms of gingivitis are red, swollen gums, they may be tender or even sore, and bleeding from gums when eating or brushing teeth. Preventing this painful problem during pregnancy is fairly easy. To avoid getting gingivitis while pregnant, there are a few things that a woman can do. Brush teeth daily, the least amount of times per day should be two. Remember to use a toothpaste which contains fluoride. Flossing a minimum of once per day is another good recommendation to avoid gingivitis during your pregnancy. Your dentist may recommend an extra cleaning during the 9 month period to help prevent gingivitis as well, in order to professionally avoid any plaque from building up.

If a pregnant woman does get gingivitis, it can lead to several problems. Since gingivitis is an "infection" caused by plaque build-up in the mouth, that infection can get out of control if it is not treated. This can lead to premature labor and delivery. It can also lead to having an increase in the possibility of having gingivitis or a worse level of gum disease in the future when she is no longer pregnant. This can also cause tooth decay and tooth loss.

Treatment for gingivitis while a woman is pregnant is usually relatively easy. There are several things that should be done in order to resolve the gingivitis. The pain of the swollen, tender, red, and bleeding gums, often make a woman not want to increase brushing her teeth, but this MUST be done in order to get rid of the gingivitis. Flossing, at a minimum of every other day, then after the first week, begin to floss every day. Increased flossing should also help to start getting the gingivitis to go away. If the problem is extremely bad, the woman should try to see a dentist as soon as possible, since this can lead to a much worse infection in the gums and lead to major problems for both the mother and baby. If after a week of diligent brushing 3 times a day, and increased flossing, the problem is not significantly better, she should also see her dentist. The dentist has more options at hand than other people do. At this point the dentist may wish to see the woman regularly while she is trying to get the gingivitis under control and get rid of any infection that she may have. The dentist may also decide that more frequent professional dental cleanings are necessary in order to keep the gingivitis issue resolved.