You Pregnant? Dental health tips for you and your baby
That donut is evil. It wants to eat your baby.
Disclaimer: The information presented in this article is for educational purposes only and is NOT intended or implied as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment from your dentist, physician, or any other healthcare professional. You should NOT use the information presented here for diagnosing or treating any health problem or disease. Never disregard advice from your personal medical care provider(s) or delay contacting your dentist/other healthcare providers because of anything you read or heard here. Reading this article and/or utilizing any of the information presented in any way does NOT create a doctor-patient relationship between you and the article creator or with any of the healthcare professionals in any way affiliated with this article. You use this information at your own risk. You should contact your dentist/healthcare professionals before beginning any new treatment or practice to address a health problem or improve your health. The author is not responsible for information on external websites linked to from this article or for the information on external websites that link to this article.
First off, the photo above is a lie. Sorry. Donuts aren’t great for your teeth. Neither is coffee. If you want some life hacks to deal with that, check out this video and this video.
Second off, if you’re reading this and you are pregnant, congratulations! I hope you raise a fearless, or perhaps appropriately fearful,¹ child who manages to help rebuild and maintain the world in healthy, sustainable, and beautiful ways. If you’re reading this and you’re not pregnant, congratulations! Sounds like your life is going to be a whole lot easier for the foreseeable future.² Perhaps less fulfilled and meaningful, but certainly easier. I’ll be running pantsless through the quad later this evening myself if you’d like to join. Regardless, even without a soon-to-be-sentient being swimming around inside you, you still get to read what I wrote.⁴ That’s worth celebrating, no?
Pregnancy does wild stuff to the human body. Puberty was weird enough for me. I don’t know from experience, but pregnancy is almost like round two of puberty or something. On top of everything else, there’s a whole ‘nother human involved? Of course, they’re just getting geared up to experience consciousness for the first time, so that can’t be easy for them either. So yea, it’s a miracle and a mystery and all that, and surprise, surprise, just as it can change-a-roo many other areas of the body, that little mystery miracle metamorphosis can affect your teeth.
I’ve had a lot of patients, most of them women, say things to me over the years like, “I never had any problems with my teeth until I had kids,” or “I got pregnant, and my teeth started falling apart,” or “I need a tooth fairy more than these brats of mine!”⁵ When you hear something repeatedly from different people without any prompting from you, you should probably pay attention to it. They kept telling me that. So, I’m here to tell you what you can do to prevent the aliens growing inside you from destroying your teeth and gums.
You might be asking, “Is this really that big of a problem?” Let’s consider some points elaborated on in this Clinical Guidance Opinion from The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Overall, about 35% of women in the U.S. don’t see a dentist in a given year. That number rises to about 56% if you look specifically at pregnant women (that number rises further still if you look at subgroups of pregnant women, such as Black or Hispanic women). Further, the lower your income level, the less likely you are to be able to access dental care. This means the most vulnerable moms and kids are also the least likely to get advice on how to care for their oral health. And here’s the thing about oral health: it’s all about PREVENTATIVE care. It’s way easier to stop problems from starting than it is to fix problems after they are already present.
Pregnancy is a great opportunity to help coach a mom-to-be regarding what is healthy for her teeth and develop healthy habits that will transfer to that soon-to-be conscious little lunatic growing inside her. Despite how important such coaching and counseling is, close to 60% of pregnant women in the U.S. never receive information about optimizing oral health for themselves and their families. Barriers to care access may include limited finances, lack of education/awareness, inadequate transportation, and unavailability of a dental care provider.
It is noted in the opinion piece I linked to above that “Prenatal counseling about oral health care has been shown to be highly correlated with teeth cleaning during pregnancy.” That’s a fancy way of saying, “If you get your teeth cleaned while pregnant, there is a greater chance you will receive counseling about oral health.” Um, duh?
In my opinion, here’s the more important thing to realize: You don’t have to have your teeth cleaned to learn how to keep your mouth and your baby’s mouth healthy. If you have your teeth cleaned, you’re more likely to encounter dental health care professionals like hygienists and dentists who can talk to you about keeping you and your baby healthy. Dental offices are where dentists like me tend to hang out. Still, that doesn’t mean you have to go to a dental office to learn how to take care of your and your baby’s oral health. That’s crazy.
We want you to go to a specific building at a specific time of day to access simple information on how to be healthy? That’s bananas. It’s 2021. The future is now. We have the internet. You can learn how to be healthy while having a nice healthy bowel movement, whether in a public restroom or the privacy of your own home. Why are we forcing millions of people to conform to our schedules? Our success rate in trying to do that is terrible. 40%? Is that good? Also, just because you go to a dental office and we tell you some stuff about how to take care of yourself doesn’t mean that you’re able to integrate that information into your specific routine and life successfully. What does the success rate look like if we make that specification? I’m guessing it’s kinda sorta a wee bit abysmal.
I’m here to teach you how to be healthy from the comfort of wherever you use your smartphone (Please don’t be driving while you’re reading this. That could potentially be very bad for your baby’s teeth.). I think communication technology has opened up incredibly powerful ways of coaching, counseling, informing, and empowering patients. We haven’t even scratched the surface of how to take advantage of it. Read on to learn yourself some dental knowledges.
What is important is that you learn prevention habits to keep your teeth and gums healthy because your child will learn from watching you. What you do is more important than what you say.
Tip #1
Don’t get pregnant.
That’s pretty self-explanatory, I suppose. If you never let the enemy inside the fortress, they can’t take you hostage and ruin your teeth. I realize this is not the most practical advice, particularly if you already are in the process of creating a person, but I figured I’d include it to be thorough.
If Tip #1 has failed you, read on…
Changes During Pregnancy That Affect Your Teeth (Oral Health)
There are three primary common changes during pregnancy that affect your oral health and one rarer weirdo outlier change:
1. Gum Disease — Hormonal changes during pregnancy can increase your body’s inflammatory response to bacteria in the mouth. This means you may see your gums redden, swell up, and bleed more during pregnancy. This is typically worse in the third trimester. If you have pre-existing gum disease before you get pregnant, this is likely to get worse when you are pregnant.
2. Increased Cavities — Changes in eating habits that accompany pregnancy can be bad news bears for your teeth. Frequent snacking due to cravings can be especially damaging—teeth decay when damaging foods and drinks contact them for longer periods of time.
3. Acid Erosion of Teeth — Babies like to make you puke in the morning. At least, that’s what I hear. That means stomach acid is coming up into your mouth. A sneak attack on the teeth from behind! Who was expecting that? Acid is what breaks down teeth, and our own stomach acid is even MORE damaging than the acid produced by bacteria when we snack on foods and drinks.
4. The Weirdo Outlier — Pyogenic granuloma. This is an outgrowth of tissue from the gums. It occurs because of the increased immune response to bacteria in the mouth during pregnancy, just as with gum disease. It looks kinda weird. Sometimes it’s uncomfortable, such as when it is located in a place where it interferes with chewing. You can have it removed if it’s bothering you. Much of the time, it will go away on its own after you deliver, so it’s not typically anything to worry much about.
Can These Problems Hurt My Baby?
You may have been told by your dentist or heard something about gum disease being related to preterm birth or low birth weight. All the studies that have looked into this have only demonstrated association or correlation, NOT causality. This means that we cannot tell based on the evidence whether having gum disease causes babies to be born early or be underweight. All we can see is that if babies are born preterm or have a low birth weight, their mothers are more likely to have gum disease. That is an association between two separate sets of facts, but NOT a causal link between them. Further studies would be necessary to prove that gum disease has these negative health consequences. As pointed out in the Clinical Guidance Opinion from The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists cited above, “Although some studies have shown a possible association between periodontal infection and preterm birth, evidence has failed to show any improvement in outcomes after dental treatment during pregnancy.”
What is important is that you learn prevention habits to keep your teeth and gums healthy because your child will learn from watching you. What you do is more important than what you say. If you floss each night, brush each night, focus on eating tooth-healthy foods and drinking tooth-healthy drinks, and so on, guess who is going to be more likely to follow your example? You can set that kiddo on the right track to have a healthy mouth for life. That means lower dental bills, less discomfort, and more confidence. We need more happy, healthy, financially stable people on this planet. Let’s make your kid one of them.
Rule #1 of being a mom: Don’t let your baby get hooked on drugs. I mean, that’s at least close to rule #1. Don’t lose your baby in the jungle. Don’t let your baby roller skate (weak knees and ankles). Don’t let your baby audition for TV commercials. These are all good candidates for rule #1 of being a mom.
What You Can Do at Home to Prevent Problems
You often don’t have to have help from a dentist or hygienist in person to take care of the oral health problems mentioned above. You have the ability to care for your teeth and gums. I promise. I’ll coach you through it.
1. Gum Disease — Flossing is the name of the game. Pregnancy doesn’t cause gum disease; it just increases the strength of your immune response to the bacteria in your mouth. What can you do about that? Remove the bacteria from the sides of your teeth under your gums. Flossing with the right technique can do that. Watch this video. Your gums may still bleed more than usual. That’s ok. Better to have a clean bloody mouth than a dirty bloody mouth. That’s what I always say. The bleeding should reduce and eventually go away after you deliver⁶ so you won’t have to scare your kid looking like a vampire who just had a meal.
2. Increased Cavities — Eating habits often change when you’re pregnant. The tyrant in your belly demands tribute. You get weird cravings. It’s a whole thing. It’s important to know if what you crave is something that could hurt your teeth. Here’s an excellent guide.
It’s also important to know that when you eat or drink something that harms your teeth, HOW you eat or drink it matters. Snacking and sipping are tooth kryptonite. If you repeatedly expose your teeth to small amounts of carbohydrates and acid, that’s A LOT more damaging than if you have the same amount of food/drink in a shorter period of time.
Whenever you have carbs to eat or drink (carbs break down into sugar which breaks down into acid, which breaks down teeth — fats and proteins can’t hurt your teeth), it’s important to rinse with water right after to get that junk off your friendly little teefers.
The other way to protect your teeth from cavities is to brush and floss every night. What does that do? It gets rid of plaque on your teeth. What’s plaque? Basically a gang of bacteria that has joined forces on the surface of your teeth. Bacteria can’t cause much trouble with your teeth and gums unless they team up. When you gently brush and floss off the surfaces of your teeth, you’re removing the plaque. No plaque = no cavities or gum disease. For most people, it takes about 24 hours for the plaque to build back up, so if you brush and floss at least every night, you’re going to protect yourself pretty well. If you can manage cleaning up that mouth more frequently than that, more power to ya. You’re my hero.
3. Acid Erosion of Teeth — How to deal with that pesky sneak attacking morning vomit? Baking soda and fluoride. “Huh?” Take a teaspoon of baking soda and dissolve it in 1 cup of water. Swish that around in your mouth thoroughly after you toss your cookies. Spit it out. Then, for extra credit, rinse your mouth out with a fluoride mouthwash.
The baking soda turns the water into a basic liquid. If you remember your chemistry from high school, acids are neutralized by bases. We’re trying to stop the acid from breaking down the teeth. This is the one time in your life it’s good to be basic.
Once you neutralize the stomach acid with baking soda mixed with water (again, swish thoroughly, then spit), you can take some fluoride mouthwash (look for “sodium fluoride” in the active ingredients on the bottle) and swish with it thoroughly, then spit. What does fluoride do? It repairs the teeth if they were damaged by the acid. Teeth absorb fluoride and can “heal” to an extent. Once fluoride is bonded to the teeth, the teeth are actually more resistant to future acid attacks. It’s impressive stuff, especially if you use it right after an acid exposure.
So, rinsing is great after you have your morning cookie toss. HOWEVER, you want to WAIT TO BRUSH. The stomach acid softens your teeth, and if you brush right away, you can actually strip more of the tooth off. No bueno. After you rinse with your baking soda water and fluoride mouthwash, wait at least 1 hour before brushing. Also, make sure you always use a SOFT BRISTLE brush and brush GENTLY on your teeth and gums. You don’t have to attack your teeth with the brush. Caress them like you would a baby’s bum. Consider it practice for your future.
The tricky thing about stomach acid erosion of your teeth is that you often don’t notice it until it has progressed a lot because it’s happening to the backsides of your teeth. You see a distinct pattern of acid erosion on teeth when patients are throwing up a lot. It becomes noticeable when the teeth thin out enough to discolor, wear along the edges, or chip and crack. That’s harder to treat after the damage is done. So, if you’re dealing with morning sickness, follow the protocol above, and you should keep everything strong and beautiful.
4. The Weirdo Outlier — To avoid developing a pyogenic granuloma, just do your best to gently brush and floss each day. As stated above, if the swelling bothers you, you can see a surgeon to have them remove it. Don’t get creative and try to do that at home yourself. Yes, I feel the need to tell all of you that directly. I’ve seen YouTube videos of people pulling their own teeth and using a vacuum cleaner as a suction device. This is not advisable. Do not do this. Even if you’re drunk, and it seems like an awesome idea. Picture my face shaking in disapproval, put down the vacuum cleaner, and DO NOT attempt to cut anything out of your head. Thank you.
Hold my beer.
Interventional Dental Care During Pregnancy:
If you’re doing everything I just described at home, you are well on your way to a stellar mouth. Work it girl. Shine like a diamond. You got this.
Of course, it is possible that you could already have a dental issue that you need some help from a professional dental team to manage. That’s cool too. We got you. Let’s talk about what you need to know about safe dental treatment in a dental care setting during pregnancy.
That’s an important first point: Dental treatment during pregnancy is very safe if you follow some simple guidelines. If you need something taken care of, it is best to take care of it rather than let it fester. You’ll cause worse problems by developing a painful dental infection than you will by addressing an issue before it gets that far. You’ll also do much better treating an existing dental infection with a tooth as opposed to trying to endure it until after you deliver.⁷
Coordinating with Your OB-GYN
If you’re uncertain about dental treatment while pregnant, you can always provide your dentist with contact information for your OB-GYN or consult directly yourself. Again, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recognizes the importance of dental care for pregnant women. Pregnant patients have common questions about the timing of procedures, safety of dental x-rays, and the safety of drugs used in dental treatment. These are all questions your OB-GYN and your dentist can answer for you specifically as an individual, but I’ll outline the general rules here.
Necessary Procedures:
If you have a dental emergency, you can safely address it during pregnancy. However, if you need to have elective dental care in order to prevent an unpredictable dental emergency from occurring in the future, it is ideal to schedule such non-emergency treatment during the second trimester of your pregnancy (weeks 13 through 26). Basically, avoid the first trimester and the second half of the third trimester if you can, but if it has to be done, that’s ok too.
You should consider needed dental treatment during the second trimester as opposed to after you deliver because you cannot always predict when that dental problem will worsen to the point that it can no longer be ignored. Toothaches can feel fine right up until the moment they don’t. That’s not a convenient thing to deal with when you’re busy with a newborn either. You also cannot always predict how soon you will make it back to the dentist after welcoming a new family member. Moms are busy, especially when the kids don’t even know how to use a toilet or talk yet, ya know?
Many dental procedures, including extractions, root canals, and fillings, can be managed safely while pregnant. If you think you have a potential issue, it’s probably smart to at least be evaluated by a dentist. There are plenty of times I diagnose a problem that is small enough that it can wait until after delivery. At least you then have that reassurance and peace of mind.
From a comfort standpoint, you may have an easier time with dental appointments early in the second trimester (weeks 13–20). As that little mutant gets larger inside you, you can experience supine hypotension syndrome (fancy name for low blood pressure leading to things like lightheadedness and nausea) from the weight of baby pressing down on large blood vessels. To help relieve pressure on these blood vessels, you can tilt onto your left side and have your dental care team provide a rolled towel to place under your right hip.
You’ll also be most comfortable in a semi-reclined position so that your head is still maintained higher than your feet. Throughout treatment, tell your dentist if you are uncomfortable or lightheaded, so they can help you change positions. I get patients all the time who apologize to me for having to make frequent position changes. I always say I’m glad they told me they were uncomfortable. You need to be comfortable. Taking breaks and changing positioning are important. Particularly when the alien is compressing major blood vessels inside your body. You don’t want to allow that to go on for too long.
And you very well might need to speak up or raise your hand to alert your dentist to the need to change positions. We are very much in the habit of flipping people upside down to work on their upper teeth backwards in a mirror. It’s this weird, quirky thing we do, and we don’t always have the situational awareness when we’re staring at a tooth trimming it in a 2 mm x 3 mm space with a drill spraying water in a mirror to realize that our patient isn’t feeling so hot. I try to pay attention to the whole situation, but some procedures require pretty intense focus.
So, yea, don’t be afraid to speak up if you’re not feeling right. And I realize you can’t actually speak with my hands in your mouth. I feel for you. That is an obstacle. That’s why you should always raise your hand. We have peripheral vision. We’ll notice it. Or our assistant will. Just make sure you raise your hand that is away from the dentist. Don’t raise your hand on the side where the drill is. That’s no bueno.
X-rays:
Dental x-rays are considered safe during pregnancy. Would you fly on an airplane while pregnant? If yes, you just exposed yourself to more radiation than you’ll get having some dental x-rays taken. X-rays are safe at any point during your pregnancy. Your dental care team will provide a lead apron to wear to cover your torso during the x-rays as well.
Your baby isn’t going to absorb too much gamma radiation and turn into the Incredible Hulk because of dental x-rays. You won’t have a “The Hills Have Eyes” baby because of dental x-rays. If you have an incredible hulk has eyes baby, it won’t be because of a tooth. The reason your kid can’t hit a free throw ten years from now or doesn’t know how to dance? That’s not because of dental x-rays. You can relax.
Drug Categories:
Rule #1 of being a mom: Don’t let your baby get hooked on drugs. I mean, that’s at least close to rule #1. Don’t lose your baby in the jungle. Don’t let your baby roller skate (weak knees and ankles). Don’t let your baby audition for TV commercials. These are all good candidates for rule #1 of being a mom. Whatever your specific opinion, though, drugs have to be up there. That being said, some drugs can be used safely in a dental setting without setting your baby up for a hard life on the street.
So, let’s talk about drugs, baby.
Drug Labeling
Pregnancy labeling on drug packaging can be confusing. I’m supposed to be a healthcare professional, and I have a hard time deciphering what the labeling means. This website tries to explain it. The pink box at the end of this section (after discussing antibiotics) sourced from this Journal of the American Dental Association article is the best summary I’ve come across for drugs you may use in a dental setting.
The reality is that even the FDA admits that the quality of current research is inadequate to make exact recommendations for pain reliever use while pregnant. I’m not the whole FDA. I’m just one little tooth guy. There are no perfect answers. Everything in life is an educated guess, and pregnancy is no exception. That’s mildly terrifying, but isn’t it also exhilarating? We’re riding the rollercoaster of life! You gather whatever information you can, make a decision, live with the consequences, and move on. We don’t have any other option, Smalls. I’ll try to give you the best info I have, and I wish you luck with the consequences. Just keep swimming.
Numbing Medications
It’s good to be numb when dentists like me fiddle with your teeth. I have some patients that request that I don’t get them numb. That usually weirds me out, but I’m always impressed when they don’t even flinch while I’m working on them. Everybody’s different. You do you.
If you’re not a freakazoid, who doesn’t need to be numb to have their teeth worked on, no worries. Lidocaine is a numbing agent that is safe to use when you’re pregnant. A few other anesthetics are most likely also safe, but lidocaine is the one that we have the most evidence for its safety. Depending on the amount of epinephrine added to the numbing medication, you could have anywhere from 5–10 full doses/injections without any issue. For most simple dental procedures, you rarely need more than 1–2 doses.
Key Take-away: It’s safe to get numb at a dental office while pregnant. As mentioned before, aim for the second trimester.
Nitrous Oxide
Good ‘ole laughing gas. The chuckle sauce. The giggle mask. The mirth machine. None of these are actual nicknames for nitrous oxide or the equipment that delivers it, and I think we’re all thankful for that. Sorry, sometimes I’m just annoying.
But seriously, this is one medication you may want to avoid while pregnant. If you felt like you couldn’t be treated without it, and you needed urgent dental care, a short-term exposure to a lower concentration of nitrous oxide probably isn’t the end of the world. Still, there is some evidence this medication can harm a developing baby, so if you can do without it, that’s likely the best choice.
Mom’s-to-be who are more at risk would likely be those working in an environment that frequently administers nitrous oxide.
Pain Meds
Normally, NSAIDs are the clear winner for most tooth pain. However, when you’re pregnant, NSAIDs such as ibuprofen can be harmful. The pain medication that is generally considered safest during pregnancy is acetaminophen. Well, ok, I’ll take that back. The safest pain medication is not having to take any pain medication at all because you’re a tooth rock star who knows how to practice preventative dental medicine at home and never develops problems in the first place as a result.
But, if you have to take a pain medication to get by while pregnant, typically acetaminophen is your safest bet. If you need to use NSAIDs, the safest time is again in the second trimester. The use of NSAIDs is associated with problems both early in pregnancy and late in pregnancy. Do NOT take aspirin while pregnant unless directed to do so by your OB-GYN. Ideally, you want to avoid opioids as well.
I get that all of this can be daunting, not having certainty about what is healthiest for you and your child. It’s a real pickle. A genuine pickle. You have every reason to be anxious. You’ll be alright, though. Talk with your OB-GYN and dentist. You’ll be able to come up with the plan that is right for you.
Anti-Anxiety Medications
The most commonly prescribed drugs in this category are benzodiazepines. Generally, you do not want to be taking these medications while pregnant, but again the risks are uncertain. However, if you are already taking these medications on a regular basis, you also do not want to stop taking them abruptly. That can cause significant withdrawal symptoms. You need to talk to your prescribing physician and your OB-GYN and develop the best plan for you.
If you get anxious about dental appointments, it would also be ideal to manage the appointment without taking an anti-anxiety medication to help you relax. Again, we find ourselves a bit between a rock and a hard place, which is why if you’re considering trying to get pregnant, it is likely a good idea to get a check-up with a dentist so you know if you need to plan to have anything taken care of. And even more than that, it is important to understand good oral health habits to stop problems before they start. Preventative medicine to the rescue!
Antibiotics
Finally, a pretty easy one! Most of the antibiotics that a dentist would prescribe are safe for you to use while pregnant.
Safe Antibiotics while pregnant (assuming you’re not allergic):
Penicillin
Amoxicillin
Clindamycin
Metronidazole (as long as you’re past the first trimester)
Cephalosporins
Importantly, there are some antibiotics, the tetracycline antibiotics, that do cause problems, particularly for your baby’s developing teeth. These antibiotics can cause brown, yellow, and bluish-grey staining of the teeth. Dentists do not prescribe these antibiotics, but it is still important to know about this side effect if you are prescribed tetracycline, doxycycline, or any other similar antibiotic in this class (they all conveniently end with that cute little -cycline).
If you could use a nice summary of the drug safety information we just went through, this pink graphic borrowed from a Journal of the American Dental Association article is a very handy reference:
What about Fluoride?
I mentioned earlier that I recommend rinsing with and then spitting out a fluoride mouthwash after a morning sickness episode. I also recommend that you always use a fluoride toothpaste.
What about other forms of fluoride? You may have read some things about fluoride being bad for you. You can read my in-depth take on that controversy here. Not too long ago, there was a study published that purported a link between fluoride exposure during pregnancy and child IQ. You can read the responses to that claim from The American Dental Association and the British National Health Service here and here. While us here ‘mericans and the Brits don’t agree about all things dentistry, there does seem to be a fairly strong consensus that this reduced IQ talk is phooey.
If you’re anxious about it, just focus on topical fluoride applications to your teeth to try to minimize systemic exposure to the rest of your body. What does that look like? Keep using the fluoride mouthwash and toothpaste, but spit it all out as much as possible after you’re done using it. I still DON’T recommend rinsing with water right afterward because it’s better to let the fluoride sit on your teeth longer, so it has time to absorb. Fluoride camping out on teeth = good. Carbs, acid, and bacteria camping out on your teeth = bad.
If you want a little extra fluoride to protect your teeth, it is also perfectly fine to have a fluoride varnish applied directly to your teeth at a dental office while pregnant. No harm there. Just a little extra shielding from acid for your teeth. This can protect from acid produced by bacteria and stomach acid. Fluoride varnish gets painted onto your teeth in a thin film. It’s a lot easier than the fluoride gel treatments you might remember from dental visits as a kid. Those gels may induce nausea for some pregnant patients, so the varnish is typically your safer bet.
Ok, that was wrong. I’m gross. I’m a heathen. I shouldn’t have said that. I crossed the line. That was heinous. I can’t delete it now, though. I mean, I already thought it and then typed it. It would be dishonest not to leave this here. But still, I’m sorry. Sometimes I’m just not right. The old coffee filter in my noggin lets the grains through occasionally. My bad. This is probably gonna be the reason I get fired. Well, one of ’em anyway. Little too racy for LinkedIn.
What about Breastfeeding?
You’ve probably all been wondering this whole time, have I ever lactated? Yes, I have. I was on the swim team in college. Apparently, when you work out three times a day, it’s possible to produce enough lactic acid as a man that you can squeeze the stuff right out of the tip of your nipple. That was our hypothesis anyway; not sure it’s backed up by science exactly. I only got a little drop out of each one. Still, that’s not nothing. I can relate to you momma’s a little bit. Several of my teammates were also “successful” that day.
I am the one squeezing lactic acid out of my nip with the white “X” on my bum. Oh, to be young again…
As a general rule, your child is exposed to higher concentrations of a drug you take during pregnancy than of a drug you take while breastfeeding. Most of the time, if a drug was safe to take while pregnant, it is also safe to take while breastfeeding.
If you’re unsure about a drug, you can search this database for the drug name and read about its safety while breastfeeding.
When the FDA revised the drug labeling protocol, they made it so drugs now have to list risks during pregnancy and lactation separately.
If you have to take a problematic drug short term, you can also pump and save a surplus of breast milk prior to taking the drug. After four half-lives (an amount of time that varies from drug to drug) have passed, 90% of the drug has been eliminated from your body, and you can go back to breastfeeding normally.
An example, using an anti-anxiety medication would be:
“The lactating mother who is to receive triazolam is counseled to pump and save a surplus supply of her breast milk before the dental appointment. She receives triazolam before the dental appointment to help ameliorate her anxiety, and for the eight to 10 hours after the dental appointment (that is, four half-lives of the drug), she will pump and discard the milk, feeding her baby with the milk she had pumped and saved from the previous day. After the four half-lives have passed, she then can return to her regular breastfeeding schedule. It takes approximately four half-lives for more than 90 percent of most medications to be eliminated from the body.”
What a clever trick! We can save milk ahead of time in bottles. The alternative is, of course, that you can use formula to feed your baby. Breastfeeding has tons of benefits, but apparently, I wasn’t breastfed, and I turned out like this, so what’s to worry about?
My older brother was the only one who was breastfed, and he ended up being 6 foot 5. Would I have liked a more legitimate shot at the NBA? Sure. But I’m over it. I’m talking about breastfeeding on Medium instead. Everything’s fine. I’m fine. My brother was smart. When my mom tried to formula feed him, he just projectile vomited everywhere. That’s how you get the good stuff. You demand the only way you know-how as a baby: By violently ejecting fluid from your body. That’s an effective protest.
Unless you’re reading this as a non-pregnant male who is also not a dad or dad to be. In which case, hmm…Either you’re a total boy scout preparing years in advance for fatherhood, or boy oh boy you are some kinda creepazoid, and you should probably stop reading this.
Summary: Keeping Both You and Baby Healthy
Lots of people are fearful of dentists to begin with. That fear and anxiety often increases for pregnant patients. That’s understandable, but there are several reasons why this is an important time to prioritize your dental health. You’re about to pass on habits to a tiny version of you. Let’s make them good habits:
Brush and floss each night.
Rinse with water after eating and drinking throughout the day.
Be careful about what you choose to snack and sip on.
Rinse with baking soda dissolved in water and then with a fluoride mouthwash after experiencing morning sickness.
Dental treatment while pregnant is safe (ideally in the second trimester)
Dental x-rays are safe at any time during pregnancy
You do have to be careful about pain medications (both prescribed and over-the-counter) and anti-anxiety meds, including nitrous oxide.
Consult with your OB-GYN and dentist if you’re unsure of anything.
I’m writing online because I realize it’s not easy for lots of patients to get in to see a dentist regularly in person. Then, even when you get to see us face to face, we don’t always have the appropriate amount of time to counsel and coach you about everything we want to. This is the best solution I’ve come up with so far: writing and making videos online.
I hope you found this to be a helpful resource and were able to tolerate some of my lunacy along the way. If you want some more guidance from more “official” and “professional sounding” sources, check out these excellent resources below:
American Dental Association MouthHealthy Pregnancy Page
Oral Healthcare During Pregnancy National Consensus Statement
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Clinical Guidance Opinion
FDA Statement Regarding Pain Medication Use During Pregnancy
Thanks for reading!
Whatcha lookin’ at?
Footnotes:
¹ You don’t want them to be overly anxious, but also let’s hope they don’t turn out brazen enough to do anything too conducive to attracting social opprobrium like writing wacky and potentially offensive articles and just kicking them out onto the internet willy nilly like a maniac. That’s asking for trouble.
² Unless you’re reading this as a non-pregnant soon-to-be dad.³ In which case, congratulations! You seem like you might make an ok dad, considering you care enough about your wife and her dental health to read articles online about it. Good for you, man.
³ Unless you’re reading this as a non-pregnant male who is also not a dad or dad to be. In which case, hmm…Either you’re a total boy scout preparing years in advance for fatherhood, or boy oh boy you are some kinda creepazoid, and you should probably stop reading this. There’s nothing in this article for you to try to flirt with a potential future mom partner in crime. What are you gonna say, “Hey, I was reading about how morning sickness can be counteracted with baking soda and a fluoride mouthwash?” That’s not a great line on Tinder. I promise. Do I know from experience? No. I’m not that much of a moron. But it’s a worse line than other ones I’ve tried, so via the transitive property combined with some other property I don’t remember, I’d say it’s not a great line. What are you still doing here? Get outta here!
⁴ Assuming you have the right intentions in reading this. Perhaps you’re an aspiring mom or have a family member or friend who could benefit from this advice. If unsure whether you should be reading, refer to footnote 3 above.
⁵ I might have made this third one up. Then again, she might have continued by elaborating, “You think you deserve a tooth fairy for losing a baby tooth? What about the permanent teeth I had to have yanked because you kept making me crave candy all day? Try having a root canal you little monster! Santa Claus is bringing me some new front teeth this year kiddo. You’re just going to have to survive without another Tickle Me Elmo!” I’ll let you decide what the truth is. I’m also sorry my children’s toy references are woefully out of date.
⁶ Just in time for that other bleeding to return.
Ok, that was wrong. I’m gross. I’m a heathen. I shouldn’t have said that. I crossed the line. That was heinous. I can’t delete it now, though. I mean, I already thought it and then typed it. It would be dishonest not to leave this here. But still, I’m sorry. Sometimes I’m just not right. The old coffee filter in my noggin lets the grains through occasionally. My bad. This is probably gonna be the reason I get fired. Well, one of ’em anyway. Little too racy for LinkedIn.
⁷ I always feel weird when I say “deliver.” You’re not exactly bringing home a pizza. “Give birth” is a little better, I guess, but that sounds a tad philistine. We need a more elegant word—a euphemism with a bit more panache. And I realize I don’t have much ground to stand on regarding euphemisms after footnote 6 above, but what can I say? I’m multidimensional.