Pregnancy

Absolutely! The dentist is an integral part of your medical team when you are expecting. There are many dental conditions and diseases that can affect fetal growth. Also, there may be undiagnosed cavities, infections or other concerns that may turn into an emergency during pregnancy.

It is very important to notify all of your healthcare providers of your pregnancy. There are pharmaceuticals and procedures that dentists use that may harm the child and/or mother. Your dentist will also be able to provide you will helpful information about how to care for your oral hygiene while pregnant. 

If you are undergoing any form of IV sedation it is standard of care to perform a pregnancy test. All pregnancy aged women must do this to ensure that there is no child that may be harmed. It sounds crazy, but many times the oral surgeon is the first place a woman finds out she is pregnant. If the surgeon performs sedation and harms the child then they are liable.

For the average healthy pregnancy the answer is no. Some dentists still may require one, but this is not necessary.  A dentist should be fully educated on their limitations as well as how to treat the expecting mother. One caveat to this is mothers with at-risk pregnancies who also need dental surgery/ restorative work. Dentists will typically write a generalized treatment plan and ask the OB if there are any concerns on their end.

Yes you can. X-rays are an essential diagnostic tool that dentists cannot perform treatment without. X-rays may reveal hidden infections, cysts, or periodontal disease that can have an adverse affect on your pregnancy. Dental X-rays are extremely low in radiation and have not been shown to affect the child. However, the dentist should try to limit these to as few as reasonably necessary for diagnostics. If you are a current patient with a healthy dental record, sometimes X-rays may not be needed

Dentists will follow a "pregnancy protocol" when treating expecting mothers. This protocol includes the use of pregnancy safe anesthetics such as Lidocaine which is a pregnancy category B. 

This is a common misconception. While pregnancy will increase the vitamin and mineral requirements of the mother, there is no physical way the child can remove it from the teeth. Calcium in tooth enamel is not like calcium in bones as it does not constantly breakdown and rebuild. There would need to be a severe calcium deficiency in order to remove calcium from the mothers bones. A simple prenatal vitamin should suffice for calcium needs.

Pregnancy gingivitis is a real phenomenon associated with pregnancy. Hormonal fluctuations and changes can cause an overgrowth or hypertrophy of the gum tissue, which often leads to inflammation i.e gingivitis.  This can range from mild to severe and will go away with time but during this time it is extra important to keep up with oral hygiene. If this is occurring it is important to schedule an exam with your dentist so they can make sure there is no associated periodontal disease.

 The answer is yes this can damage your teeth.  A simple trick for patients with any form of vomiting episodes is to mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda in a bottle (leave in your favorite bathroom next to the sink) swish and gargle after vomiting. The baking soda will neutralize the harmful stomach acids and will help remove the bad taste in your mouth. It is not recommended to brush immediately after vomiting.

Yes. There are certain types of medications that can have a negative affect on the growth and development of your childs teeth, While they are in the womb they are growing the buds of their teeth and this is a crucial stage. Sometimes defects in enamel can be traced to a time when mom became ill during pregnancy.

This is called oligodontia and simply means "without some teeth". And yes it does run in families. If mom and dad were both missing specific teeth then it is very likely the child will follow this trend, However there is no hard and fast rule to this as it is more of a sliding scale of how many teeth and which ones are missing. There are genetic diseases that can cause severe oligodontia and should be revealed to your OB.

Not only is this very important to make sure Mom is in good dental health but also is a nice thing to get out of the way. Once baby is here Mom will have a-lot less time for herself. Ask your dentists manager about preferred insurance options for baby as well.  They should be happy to help.

Establishing a dental home for your child can start during pregnancy. Simply ask your dentist if they are comfortable doing baby exams or if they can refer you to a local pediatric dentist. Having an established dental home for baby will streamline care in cases of emergency or time sensitive issues such as lip and tongue ties or natal teeth.

A child's palate will directly reflect mom and dads. Getting a head start on cutting out soft drinks, fruit juices, candy and processed foods will greatly reduce the intake of these for the child. 

Tooth eruption patterns, crowding, crossbites, missing teeth and other dental issues can often run in the family. If Mom and Dad were both in braces for 5 years then it is very likely baby will need braces as well. This can be a large financial burden for parents and the earlier this is planned for, the better.