Introduction
Toothache during pregnancy raises many questions for pregnant women, which probably have not been thought about before this special situation. In order not to endanger the well-being of the becoming child, one should inform oneself well about what is now permitted and on which means one should rather do without nevertheless. This article gives an overview of the treatment of toothache during pregnancy.
Can the toothache be harmful to the baby?
Toothache is always associated with stress for the mother and every doctor advises all mothers to avoid stress during pregnancy as much as possible. The reason for this is that permanent pain can damage the child and has a strong negative influence on it. Since toothaches are often permanent, they also produce permanent stress and increased cortisol levels.
Cortisol is the stress hormone, which scientifically proven over a longer period of time changes the amniotic fluid of the mother, which has a negative influence on the child’s development. It is suspected that the IQ of children who grew up under an elevated cortisol level during pregnancy is lower. Furthermore, researchers suspect a connection between mental and neuronal illness in children as a result of increasing stress in pregnant women. Therefore it applies to make a checkup with the treating dentist with the realization of the pregnancy around all complaints to eliminate and treat treatment-needy teeth first, so that tooth pain cannot develop at all.
Side effects of toothache during pregnancy
Due to the hormonal changes, the teeth are stressed by the accompanying symptoms of pregnancy. In addition to to toothache, the gums redden, the soft tissues swell and if not treated, the teeth can become loose. During daily dental care, changes in the gums can lead to increased bleeding of the gums.
Also the vomiting of pregnancy, which affects many pregnant women between the first and fourth month, puts increasing strain on the teeth. Stomach acid attacks the enamel and can lead to erosion as the strain increases. The acidity causes parts of the enamel to detach and the tooth is less well protected.
It can be hypersensitive to thermal stimuli such as cold food. In addition, the hormonal changes also change the saliva so that the buffering effect of acids decreases. As a result, caries can form and spread more easily and pain in the teeth can increase. For pregnant women, the sensation of pain is altered, so that pain is felt more intense and the level of the stress hormone cortisol increases, which can have an adverse effect on the unborn child.
