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Dental treatment during pregnancy: what is the risk to the fetus
The dental issue for expectant mothers is very acute. On the one hand, teeth at this time begin to decay faster, so it is worth a lot of effort to preserve them. On the other hand, it is believed that treatment with anesthesia can be dangerous for the unborn baby.
“Diseased teeth in parents and those who will be in close contact with the baby are one hundred percent guarantee of sick teeth in a child. Caries is easily transmitted through kissing, licking nipples, forks, spoons, etc. That is, even the observance of basic hygiene rules (for example, do not lick a baby’s nipple that has fallen on the floor before giving it to him again, do not try anything from a baby spoon) to some extent save your baby from cariogenic bacteria. “
Why teeth decay
To eliminate the risk factors, the first step for parents is to heal all of their teeth. It would be good for an expectant mother to take care of this issue even at the stage of planning pregnancy, but its onset should not interfere with your desire to put your teeth in order. It is very important to undergo regular preventive examinations. The timing of such examinations at the dentist is 6 – 8 weeks, then 16 – 18, 26 – 28, 36. If there are risk factors, then the number of examinations doubles.
“Keep in mind that even if everything is in order right now, dental problems can arise out of nowhere: hormonal changes in the body occur in connection with pregnancy and breastfeeding,” the doctor warns.
The most common problems of pregnant women are bleeding gums or increased sensitivity of the teeth, exacerbation of existing chronic odontogenic foci of infection – untreated teeth.
Medicines: what is good, what is bad
For pregnant women, treatment requiring anesthesia can be carried out after 16 weeks, when the placental barrier is formed and the fetus is protected from the effects of drugs. The least toxic anesthetic is ultracaine with adrenaline at a dilution of 1: 200.
“Treatment with anesthesia under the supervision of a dentist is absolutely safe,” says Yulia Selyutina.
But taking a pregnant woman with antibiotics of the tetracycline series can provoke the development of a specific malformation of the hard tissues of the teeth of the unborn child – the so-called “tetracycline teeth”.
With this pathology, the teeth erupt not white, but partially or completely colored in different shades of yellow, orange, brown. Only a dentist can correct this aesthetic defect.
“By the way, in order to avoid the occurrence of this disease, antibiotics of the tetracycline series should not be given to children under 12,” says our expert.
You should know it
The baby’s milk teeth are laid already at the 5th – 7th week of intrauterine development. Toxicosis, acute respiratory viral infections, rubella, toxoplasmosis, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, the use of potent drugs – all this can provoke the occurrence of malformations of the baby’s milk and even permanent teeth.
And such a pathology as enamel hypoplasia (violation of the structure of the teeth, underdevelopment of the enamel) can be caused by fetal hypoxia, breech presentation, and prolonged complex childbirth.