Gagging while brushing teeth

katka512 · August 2013

Every time I brush my teeth, I gag. It started around 7-8w. I'm 10w2d now and it's getting worse.
It happens when I brush my tongue no matter what I do and now it's started happening when I just put the toothbrush in my mouth.

Did this happen to anyone else? Any tricks to get through brushing without gagging? I haven't vomited yet but I feel like it's going to happen soon. My nausea is even worse afterwards!

xladybassx · August 2013

This happened to me every time I brushed my teeth from about 8 weeks to 14 weeks. I am now 15 weeks and this last week has been better, it has only happened a few times. I did throw up a few times after brushing...and then of course had to brush again! I didn't find anything that made it go away, but a few things made it more tolerable. First, brush as fast as you can to get it over with quickly. You might not get as thorough of a brushing, but can try brushing more frequently if that bothers you. I ended up brushing about 4 times a day, but pretty quickly each time. If you are really dedicated to your oral hygiene, pick one area to focus on each time you brush (front lower teeth, back upper teeth, etc) so by the end of the day at least each area has had some specific attention. Another thing that helped me was not using the electric toothbrush. I switched to manual because I think the electric was just adding to much extra stimulation. I found that I could only brush the front half of my tongue, and not for long. Try rinsing your mouth after with your face pointed down. Tipping my head back to gargle almost always triggered vomiting. You can do the same thing with mouthwash, just swish facing down. I'm sorry you have this symptom...it really sucks! I hope you find a solution that works for you.

hootie123 · August 2013

I've had a similar reaction as well - the only two times I've thrown up this pregnancy was right after brushing my teeth and gagging - which caused me to feel nauseous and vomit.

huskermama · August 2013

This happened to me too from about 8 weeks on. Am 16 weeks now and just finally able to brush normally. I also experience this with my first pg and actually would get sick every morning for the first several weeks. Tried switching toothpaste among other things but nothing really helped! Hang in there and hope you feel better soon!

JewelsW1980 · August 2013

This still happens to me.

Roeni · August 2013

This has always happened to me...even before pregnancy lol

BlueEyedDreamer · August 2013

I've been having similar symptoms and usually end up coughing/gagging for a while after brushing teeth. ladybass had some good suggestions that have helped me for sure. And I've been making sure to floss well and use a good mouthwash, too. Hope you feel better soon!