Solving Pregnancy Nausea Helps Protect Teeth
It is a well known fact that dentists and dental hygienists encourage people to brush their teeth at least twice a day, especially after meals. There are times, however, when brushing your teeth right away is not advised. Specifically speaking, tooth brushing should be delayed after your teeth are exposed to acid, such as from citrus juices, sour candies, vinegar drinks, or carbonated sodas. And although it is distasteful to mention, there is one source of acid that is also very damaging to your teeth — vomiting. Since morning sickness is often accompanied by nausea and throwing up, it’s important to conquer the problem in order to help protect the teeth during pregnancy.
How to Ease the Sickness
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) states that morning sickness is caused in pregnant women primarily due to the increases they experience in blood hormone levels. The sense of smell is heightened and the sense of taste is altered. These effects can be part of the reason for the nausea and vomiting that can take place at any time of day, not just in the morning, when a woman is pregnant.
For women affected by this nausea, it usually starts around the 9th week of pregnancy and continues only for several weeks or perhaps several months. For some mothers, the sickness sadly continues throughout the pregnancy. Since frequent vomiting can lead to dehydration and tooth decay, it is important to drink up to 12 cups of water per day while pregnant. This keeps the body hydrated and helps keep the oral environment moist and pH neutral.
Both the ACOG and the American Dental Association (ADA) recommend a bland diet to deal with the challenges posed by morning sickness. Dry toast or crackers for a “breakfast in bed” can get the day started. Follow that with five or six small meals throughout the day. The goal is to have a stomach that’s not empty, but never stuffed. Snack on nutrient dense foods like fruit and nuts, while keeping some bland crackers readily available. Other good foods for avoiding nausea include bananas, rice, applesauce, toast at any time of the day, and tea. And stay away from things that stink! For example, let other family members handle taking out the garbage or cleaning up after pets.
If you do happen to throw up, despite your best efforts to avoid it, the easiest way to clean the mouth is with an ordinary water rinse. According to the ADA, you can also use diluted mouthwash or a full glass of water mixed with one teaspoon of baking soda. A thorough rinse removes the stomach acid from the teeth and helps neutralize the oral environment. After thirty minutes, it should be safe to clean the mouth with a tooth brushing. If you ignore this advice, your toothbrush ends up etching your enamel with scrapes and scratches due to the powerful effect of stomach acid.
Dental Exams Protect Oral Health
One of the items on our dental health checklist is the state of your tooth enamel. If frequent vomiting is damaging your tooth enamel, it shows up as excessive wear and tear or decay on the surface of the teeth. Our Placerville dentist can recommend protective treatments to help prevent damage to your tooth enamel while dealing with nausea. Honesty and trust are important aspects of the relationship with your dentist, so you can rely on us to offer good medical advice when it comes to protecting your teeth.
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