Pregnancy and the Dentist

If you’re pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant then congratulations! I have had 6 favorite days in life so far, days where I just felt like I was walking on air and all other problems disappeared. 3 of those days were when each of my 3 children were born.

Lots of changes happen during pregnancy. The most obvious is that growing bulge in the midsection. Changes in your pocketbook and the color of the baby’s future room are just a few more I could mention. One change that you may not be aware of is the change that can occur in your oral health.

Pregnancy can actually cause an increase in gingivitis, the red puffy gums that bleed easily. This exaggerated response to plaque is caused by an increase in the level of progesterone in your system. During pregnancy, you may actually need to have more frequent dental cleanings to prevent this problem.

In addition to your own health, seeing the dentist before or during pregnancy might actually help the health of your developing baby. New studies indicate that women with severe periodontal (gum) disease may be at higher risk for preterm birth and associated low-birthweight.

Dental x-rays are always a concern during pregnancy and should be avoided when possible. However, when an emergency happens and x-rays have to be used, every precaution is taken to minimize exposure to the baby. A protective lead apron is used with a thyroid collar to protect mom and baby from unnecessary exposure.

Dental emergencies do happen during pregnancy and they are never fun. Just recently I had a new patient come in the day before a scheduled C-section with a painful throbbing tooth! She needed a root canal. Luckily, we were able to take care of her pain and she was able to enjoy the arrival of her new baby without a throbbing tooth. Waiting and watching on teeth that need emergency treatment is not always the best option during pregnancy because pain can cause unnecessary stress to you and your baby. If you are thinking about getting pregnant, see your dentist for a pre-pregnancy exam to determine if there are any cavities that can’t wait until after your pregnancy.

Now let me mention a few things about your future baby’s teeth. Your baby’s teeth will start to erupt about six months after birth. These will be baby teeth that your child will lose later, but they are very important for spacing, health, speech development, and normal emotional development. It is important that they remain cavity free.

These baby teeth are susceptible to cavities as soon as they enter the mouth and brushing should start with the eruption of the first teeth. A soft baby toothbrush and baby toothpaste without fluoride should be used until your baby can spit out on its own. Then you can switch to fluoride toothpaste. Early childhood caries (cavities) can happen when sugary liquids like milk, formula or juice come in contact with the teeth. Obviously, your baby needs to eat, but juice should be used sparingly. You should avoid putting your baby in the crib alone with a full bottle of anything but water. Bottles should be finished before going down for naptime or bedtime.

A new study also shows that a few applications of fluoride varnish on baby teeth can dramatically reduce the chance of those teeth getting decay. It’s a good idea to have the first visit to the dentist by your child’s first birthday. This allows the baby to establish a positive relationship with the dentist, we can check for cavities and apply fluoride varnish.

Here's to a healthy mother and baby!

Dr. Bell

Sick of cavities?

Have you ever leaned in for that first kiss and wondered to yourself, “I wonder where this mouth has been?” I have…of course I am a dentist.
The mouth is a very complex system comprised of tissue, chemistry, little bugs and any substance that we put into it. It is the portal into the body and one of the few places where the inside of the body meets the outside world. It’s not surprising therefore as a dentist to find that people are very concerned about how this external display of internal tissue and organs appears to other people. One of the most concerning things that people find out as we talk is that their mouth has a disease that can be passed on to others.
There are several disease processes that I look for and treat in the mouth. Probably the two most common are caries and periodontal disease. Caries is the disease that causes the well-known cavity. It is a bacterial infection in the mouth and it is transmissible, meaning it can be passed to other people. So before you lean in for that first kiss, you might want to prepare yourself by talking with that significant other’s dentist.
Luckily, caries is one disease that is preventable in almost all cases. To understand the disease it is important to know that our mouths are full of bacteria. Some of the bacteria causes cavities and some of it doesn’t.
These cavity-causing bacteria are really not that different from us. They love sugar. When we feed them sugar, they spit out acid onto our teeth. That acidic environment causes minerals in our teeth to leach out into the saliva. Saliva has minerals in it and a basic pH, which helps put the minerals back into the teeth. However, if the acid attack continues, the tooth slowly becomes soft and then develops a hole – enter the cavity. At this point, you are usually in the dental office with a sharp object hanging over your teeth as your dentist breaks the news to you. You leave depressed in both spirit and wallet.
Is there a solution or are you doomed to go through life feeling the effects of this disease? In fact there is a way to treat this disease, and filling those holes in your teeth is only a part of the solution.
I have found that the easiest way to understand this disease and its treatment is to think of it as a balance. On one side of this balance are destructive factors including bacteria, sugar in the diet, frequency of snacking, acid in the diet and lack of saliva. On the other side are protective factors including adequate saliva, a healthy diet, brushing and flossing and fluoride. If the scale is tipped to the destructive side, you get cavities. If it’s tipped to the protective side, you don’t. It’s as simple as that.
The difficult part is finding out which way your personal scale is tipping. There are new techniques that can help us as dentists to find out whether your scale is tipped to the destructive or protective side. The key to the disease management is to find a dentist that can help you find out what’s happening in your mouth and find a preventive treatment that will keep you on the protective side.In the mouth, the farther the disease is allowed to progress, the more damage it does to healthy tissues and the more expensive the treatment options become. It is always less expensive and healthier to catch the signs of the disease as early as possible and treat them accordingly.

Wishing you a healthy smile,

Dr. Bell

Peace in an uncertain economy

We recently had a new addition to our family – a cute little girl who is now 2 months old. She is so sweet, but she has caused us to lose some sleep at night. I thought I’d share a little story about someone who didn’t lose sleep at night. You’ve probably heard one version or another of this story at some point in your life, but I think it fits the current economic situation quite well.
A severe storm hit a rural farming community one night. Farmers scrambled in the dark wetness to herd their animals into barns, secure their gates, cover their equipment and feed, and keep their harvest from spoiling. There was, however, one farmer who slept all through that terrible storm. He was prepared for the storm because each evening he prepared his farm as if there would be a thunderstorm. He was able to “sleep while the wind blew” because he was prepared.
As a dentist, I thought I would share some ways you can prepare your teeth so that “when the wind blows” so to speak, you can figuratively sleep, knowing you’re ready.

Tooth Preparedness:

1) Dental Insurance – Use it or lose it. While you have dental insurance, it’s a good idea to use it to get your teeth in a position that you could go for long periods of time without dental treatment and not have emergencies. If you don’t use it by the end of the year, that money is gone forever and you’re stuck paying premiums for someone else’s dental care. Dental insurance helps you in two ways. First, most insurances require the in-network dentist to accept a fee for a procedure that is typically less than what the dentist would normally charge. Second, it partially pays for that discounted procedure. If you were to lose your dental insurance and had waited for some needed care, you will wish you hadn’t. You will end up paying much more for the same work and will have put yourself at risk for expensive dental emergencies, which never come at the right time. Prepare your teeth so you can sleep through the night if a storm hits.
2) Think Prevention – It is always less expensive to prevent problems from happening than to fix them after they happen. I focus on prevention and am pro-active when it comes to dental care. I’m a dentist who can sleep through the night because I know that my patients who follow my advise could go for long periods of financial stress and have little chance of having a dental emergency. Regardless of your circumstance, it is very important to keep up with your 6-month exam and cleaning. It will save you money in the long run.
3) The Dental Wish List – Some of us have a dental wish list of things we’d like to have done, like cosmetics dentistry. Whether it be tooth whitening or a smile makeover, I counsel my patients to get their teeth in the most stable position they can before they invest money in the dental wish list. Take care of what needs to be done before you start what you want to have done.
4) Brush and floss – Improving your technique with a little instruction from the dentist or hygienist can go a long way in preventing dental emergencies. Ask us to show you how to do a better job. Sometimes you might need an over the counter or prescription product to help keep you from getting cavities or gum disease.

I am an optimist. I feel like if we make good financial decisions, put a little money away, try to save some storable food for a rainy day, we can all weather this storm together, and hopefully get plenty of sleep while we’re doing it. Optimism is contagious so spread it freely!

Best wishes,
Dr. Bell