Finding out you’re expecting is a life-changing experience. Suddenly, everything that was once important to you (before you found out you were pregnant) takes a backseat, and all the attention is to eat healthily and prepare for the new addition to your life. While that’s a good thing, new mothers make the mistake of not taking good care of their own health – namely oral health. While your priorities have definitely changed since the news broke out, taking good care of your health as well as maintaining good oral hygiene during pregnancy will have a positive impact on the health of the baby as well.

You’re At A Higher Risk Of Periodontal Disease

While it is common for mothers-to-be to focus entirely on their diet, it also puts them at a higher risk of developing gum disease due to bad food choices and hormonal changes that your body will be going through during the pregnancy. These also happen to be two of the reasons why the occurrence of periodontal disease during pregnancy is commonplace.

Increased Cravings

Because of the hormonal changes that your body will be going through, it is normal to experience increased cravings for certain foods that are not all healthy options. Besides that, these cravings almost always include foods that are rich in carbohydrates, such as sugar. This often results in the buildup of bacteria between the gums and the teeth, which leads to periodontal or gum disease. In fact, gum disease during pregnancy is so common that dentists have given it a name – pregnancy gingivitis, and the condition affects nearly two-fifths of all women during pregnancy. The good news is that there’s an easy fix.

To find out what that is, meet up with your favorite neighborhood dental expert, Dr. Erick E. Di Matteo, at University Periodontal Associates. Call now at 832-856-3677 to schedule your appointment.