Teeth

BuzzBee614 · January 2016

Anyone else having issues with their teeth? I remember this happening my last pregnancy too and it sucks. My teeth hurt.
My teeth on the upper left side feel hollow with every step I take. So weird.

I need to make a dentist appointment but I hate spending the money because we don't have dental insurance. I also know I need a small cavity filled. Blah.

I read somewhere that the more kids you have is directly proportionate to losing more teeth in your lifetime. Another benefit to moms! Haha.

I needed to vent and have other people commiserate with me.

JessicaB0627 · January 2016

My gums always bled when I was pregnant with DD. They do when I floss this time, too. And I've been noticing weird pains!

I had an appointment scheduled and cancelled it until I can stand someone putting their hands in my mouth without puking. Hopefully that's soon.

kbrands7 · January 2016

I had more gum sensitivity early on, but that seems to have dissipated. Do you have a dental school nearby that may be able to do a check and cleaning at a discount?

Bluejay3030 · January 2016

With DD I swear my teeth felt like they were loose enough to fall out. It was horrible, and after she was born the dentist found like 5 cavities

. And that was after years of no issues. This time around I'm forcing myself to floss even though it still makes me gag still, after 24 weeks of pregnancy.

I wish I had better advice... I feel your pain!

doozer1345 · January 2016

YES!! With DD it was while I was nursing. This time it was in my 1st tri. I had to get a root canal both times. I still have to get a perm put on and now have some fillings I need. I've been waiting on my insurance to renew to get all that done. My doctor has doubled up on my Vitamin D to help and given me this super toothpaste stuff that repairs/shields from damage. Tooth pain is so debilitating.

AmmyBelle · January 2016

Hey - the losing teeth in proportion to the amount of children you have is a myth, though a persistent one. Basically, it stems from the ability of the fetus to take a lot (read: A LOT) of calcium from your bones (and teeth, too I suppose) if you're not drinking sufficient amounts of calcium for it to keep growing.

That being said, tooth pain/bleeding gums and mouth sensitivity in general is common through pregnancy/breastfeeding mostly, according to my doctor, due to flux in hormones and the overage of blood that is being produced in your body. Generally, I don't think this is dentist worthy - they really can't do much. What helped me with this, weirdly enough, was sensitivity toothpaste (which is supposed to help against feeling pain when you bite into cold things, etc). My dad uses it and over the holidays, I ran out of toothpaste and raided my parents' stash and found within a day or two that my teeth felt way way better.

jessiedee13 · January 2016

All 3 pregnancies my mouth is a bloody mess every time I brush

ever since I got braces in high school my gums have been sensitive and I can only use a Colgate 360 toothbrush with soft bristles. Any others cause bleeding. When pregnant...forget it. There's a crime scene in my sink. And now that I'm on my 3rd pregnancy in 3 years I am noticing more sensitivity than usual...and it stinks. I also do not have dental insurance and I'm dreading the bill...but I also will puke on anyone putting hands in my mouth at the moment so the dentist will wait.

Hooray for being toothless far before I'm ready!

sarawifenow · January 2016

I also have really bad gum bleeding! It is awful!

Bltbear82 · January 2016

My gums have been more sensitive both pregnancies. I actually have a cleaning scheduled this week and I can't wait because I've been feeling like I'm too cautious when I floss. I also usually love the scraping and stuff during a cleaning, I love how clean it feels, so I'm hoping I don't freak out.

BuzzBee614 · January 2016

I want to love tit your responses for sharing with me but definitely don't love anyone's bleeding gums and sad decaying teeth.

Merciel · January 2016

What I read was that tooth decay during pregnancy has more to do with increased acidity of saliva and increased bacterial activity in your mouth (in other words, blame hormones! again!), not calcium loss (although that does seem to be the reason for potential bone damage, so adequate calcium intake is definitely still important).

There's nothing to do really besides brush/floss/use fluoride regularly, and drink lots of water to flush out the acid and bacteria as much as possible. It is important to do that, though, since dental health is tied to so much else in overall systemic health.

dshannah · January 2016

Cheaper than the dentist but really helpful for me has been a waterpik!

This is the one I have. It's $48 but worth every penny. You use it before brushing.

jessiedee13 · January 2016

@dshannah that looks so much better for my ridiculously sensitive gums than floss right now! I might have to invest in one. The odds I'll remember it past tonight are relatively low though.

JennyS86 · January 2016

Last pregnancy, the sensitivity set in right after delivery! I think it was just getting better...and you guessed it - now I'm pregnant and sensitive again!

Hang in there, Ladies!

Jenly17 · January 2016

Yes and it totally sucks. It looks like a murder scene in my sink when I floss.

nerdymama15 · January 2016

My dentist told me to rinse/swish with Listerine twice a day. It does not help with the pain, but it helps with the bleeding gums part in the sense that it help kills any bad bacteria that could really mess you up later on

camillaandcarson · January 2016

Mine bleed while pregnant too. Just went in for a cleaning recently. They said it is very normal during pregnancy.

dshannah · January 2016

jessiedee13 said:

@dshannah that looks so much better for my ridiculously sensitive gums than floss right now! I might have to invest in one. The odds I'll remember it past tonight are relatively low though.

The other nice thing about the waterpik (which I've never done--too chicken, but it's totally allowed according to the manufacturer) is to fill the well with mouthwash to get rid of germs, which is especially important in pregnancy as other posters have mentioned.

saraleigh2 · January 2016

The old wives tale about losing a tooth per child is somewhat based in reality. As your baby grows and the bones begin to harden, your babies need for calcium and minerals increases, if your nutrition is deficient Mother Nature will take it from your body- bones, teeth etc to give to your baby. Nutrition is really important!

With increased blood flow to your oral tissues and other mucous membranes (related to increased blood volume) you may have noticed nosebleeds, and bleeding/sensitive gums. Now is definitely the time to make sure you've seen your dentist for a cleaning, and to take your oral care seriously, so things don't get out of hand! Brush your teeth (for the full 2 min, try to brush all sides of each tooth), floss your teeth (be gentle and take your time)! Nosebleeds -try saline rinse or putting the humidifier in your room at night the winter heat can be brutal!! Stay hydrated!

Stay well ladies!

Edited because AutoCorrect on my phone sucks

emma+karen · January 2016

Uuuughhhh! Glad I ran a search and found this thread! My teeth have been a saga this pregnancy, starting in Nov. when I went for a regular cleaning. Right after the cleaning, an upper back molar started to really bother me. Bang, root canal....which hurt like a b**** since they couldn't fully anesthetize me. Now it's crowned and should be done but guess what--still hurts when I bite down. Gotta see if I can get back in to have them fix bite, and (hopefully) solve the problem. If it's cracked or something, I will die. On TOP of that, had some cavities filled last week (that were NOT bothering me) and now they hurt constantly and I'm taking way more Tylenol than I feel comfortable taking, even though I know it's supposed to be safe for us preggos. So I called this morning and they can get me back in NEXT week to get looked at...unless, of course, I'm willing to take part of a sick day to come in at like 10am or something.

That was a long, rambling vent...but suffice to say I am SO OVER dental issues!

Delitachan · January 2016

Yeah, I had gum sensitivity. Some days it was so painful to chew on my right side due to inflamed gums.

jenl1681 · January 2016

My teeth get so soft and I have gum sensitivity every pregnancy. With DS I cracked a molar eating a pickle and cried like a baby.

allisonmunson94 · January 2016

Yes! It's so terrible! I take pride in the fact that I have never had a cavity in my life or a filling or anything at all, and I noticed that the other day, my upper left wisdom tooth is now poking through my gum. It has been for about a week or so. No pain at first, but I decided to take a closer look at all of my teeth and I noticed I have a hole in my tooth on my upper right back molar. A day after I noticed this hole, the whole right side of my jaw started hurting which was surprising since you'd think where I have the tooth poking through is where I would have pain. I'm nervous about more wisdom teeth coming in and about this cavity. It hurts to even open my mouth

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