“Have a baby, lose a tooth” was a common saying in our grandmothers’ day. During your pregnancy, you may hear this from an older family member. Is it one of those pregnancy myths or can it be true? This depends on who you ask. Some believe it was true in the old days, but modern dental care has taken care of the problem. Others are staunch believers in this saying.
A recently released medical study looked at this issue. The study was conducted by New York University and The Yale School of Medicine. Researchers looked at a nationwide sampling of nearly 3,000 women to find a correlation between tooth loss and pregnancy. The study was controlled for smoking, dental health care and socio economic factors that may influence the outcome.
What researchers found was there seemed to be a correlation between tooth loss and pregnancy. They found that the more babies a woman had, the more likely she was to have experienced tooth loss. The correlation seems to hold, regardless of preventative dental care in pregnancy.
Researchers aren’t sure of the exact reason for the link between pregnancy and tooth loss in women. There are a few ideas. One is that the women may not be getting enough calcium in their diets. Calcium is an important mineral, needed for the growth of your baby’s teeth and bones. It is also needed for your teeth and bones.
Your baby will get what she needs, regardless of your intake. The calcium will be taken from your bones and teeth, if there isn’t enough available from your diet. This is one more reason nutrition is vitally important during pregnancy. Be sure to eat calcium rich foods, such as milk, cheese, yogurt and other foods fortified with this important mineral every day. If you can’t tolerate these foods, talk to your doctor about supplements.
Another factor that may influence tooth loss is pregnancy induced gingivitis. This is fairly common in pregnancy and is caused by the swelling of gum tissue. This allows plaque to become lodged below the gum line, which can cause infection and tooth loss.
The prevalence of this disorder is one reason it is recommended that women see their dentist during pregnancy. The recommendation is to see the dentist in the second trimester, when morning sickness and miscarriage risk have diminished. The teeth will be cleaned below the gum line and the dentist can look for signs of gingivitis and treat it early, preventing problems with tooth loss.
In addition, if there is something wrong your dentist can take care of it, before the problem gets worse. There are safe procedures, antibiotics and medications that can be used during pregnancy. Your dentist will discuss the safety of procedures, based on your individual needs.
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