Pre-pregnancy oral examination, four major diseases to be vigilant

Pregnancy is a responsible process and you must be fully prepared beforehand. Oral examination is the key point. Gingivitis and periodontitis, caries, impacted wisdom teeth and oral hygiene must be vigilant, otherwise it will cause many adverse effects.

1. Gingivitis and periodontitis

After a woman becomes pregnant, the level of estrogen in her body increases significantly, especially the level of progesterone, which can cause blood vessels in the gums to proliferate and increase the permeability of blood vessels, easily inducing gingivitis, which is called "pregnancy gingivitis." Studies have confirmed that the proportion and severity of "pregnancy gingivitis" after pregnancy in women who did not suffer from gingivitis before pregnancy are greatly reduced; while for women who suffer from gingivitis or periodontitis before pregnancy, the inflammation will be more severe after pregnancy, and the gums will proliferate, swell, and bleed significantly. Some gums may even proliferate into a tumor-like state, which is called "pregnancy gingivoma", which is very easy to bleed and can interfere with eating in severe cases. In addition, the toxicity of bacteria in the patient's periodontal pockets increases, and the damage to the periodontal bone tissue is also aggravated, often causing multiple teeth to loosen and fall off. If the periodontitis is moderate or severe, the chances of pregnant women giving birth to premature babies and low-birth weight babies will greatly increase. Therefore, gingivitis and periodontitis should be examined and systematically treated before pregnancy.

2. Tooth decay

Dental caries is commonly known as tooth decay. Physiological changes and changes in eating habits before pregnancy, as well as neglect of oral care, often aggravate the development of tooth decay. Once acute pulpitis or apical periodontitis breaks out, it will not only bring unbearable pain to pregnant women, but also cause adverse effects on the fetus if the medication is taken carelessly. In addition, surveys have shown that if the mother has tooth decay, the possibility of her baby suffering from tooth decay is greatly increased. One of the reasons is that the mother is the earliest disseminator of tooth decay-causing bacteria in the baby's mouth. The Streptococcus mutans in the mouth of a pregnant woman can be transmitted vertically from mother to child. Therefore, curing tooth decay before pregnancy is beneficial for both yourself and your baby.

3. Impacted wisdom teeth

Impacted wisdom teeth refer to the last molar in the mouth (commonly known as "posterior molars"), which cannot fully erupt due to obstruction by the jawbone and other teeth, causing part of the tooth to be covered by the gums. The mandibular third molar is the most common. There is a deep gap between the tooth and the gums of impacted wisdom teeth (medically known as a "blind bag"), which is easy to accumulate food debris, leading to the breeding and reproduction of bacteria and directly causing acute and chronic inflammation, which is commonly known as "pericoronitis of wisdom teeth." Since wisdom teeth usually erupt after the age of 18, and pericoronitis of wisdom teeth is most likely to occur between the ages of 20 and 35, which happens to be the time when women of childbearing age choose to become pregnant, in order to prevent the occurrence of this disease, the impacted wisdom teeth in the mouth should be removed before pregnancy.

4. Oral Hygiene

If you are planning to get pregnant, it is very important to go to the dental department (preferably a dental department that specializes in examining expectant mothers) to have your oral hygiene checked and receive health guidance from your dentist. Common oral diseases during pregnancy are closely related to oral hygiene. You need to know how to brush your teeth and floss correctly, as well as when it is safe to seek treatment if you develop oral diseases during pregnancy.