Can pregnant women with toothaches take painkillers like everyone else before seeing a dentist? And if they do, will painkillers affect the baby in the womb? When many people feel toothache, the first thing they think of is to take painkillers such as paracetamol or aspirin to relieve the symptoms first. But what about pregnant women? Is it possible to take these medications? What should pregnant women do if they have toothaches? What medicines can pregnant women take if they have wisdom teeth, swollen gums, or molars? Let’s find out.
Tooth sensitivity during pregnancy
During pregnancy, you will experience many discomforts. Your body will change, so you may experience back pain or discomfort. However, while you are trying to prop yourself up with a high pillow to sleep better, you may notice that another source of discomfort for pregnant women is your teeth. You may experience sensitive teeth during pregnancy, but if you know that other pregnant women experience the same symptoms, you may feel relieved. Here are some of the reasons why pregnant women may experience sensitive teeth and sore gums, and how to deal with these symptoms safely.
Reasons why pregnant women have toothaches. Relieve toothaches in 1 minute.
During pregnancy, from the 2nd month onwards, there will be more blood vessels feeding the gums than usual. This makes it easy for pregnant women to have gingivitis and it is more likely to be inflamed than usual. Pregnant women can have gum disease ranging from simple gingivitis to periodontitis or gingivitis, which is inflammation of the gums along with inflammation of the periodontal ligament, root coating, and alveolar bone. The reason why pregnant women have toothaches and tooth decay may be due to eating habits that are more frequent during pregnancy, which causes food particles to stick to the teeth. If you don’t brush your teeth every time after eating, it will make it easier for mothers to have tooth decay and toothache.
1. High progesterone hormone
When a new mother is pregnant, hormonal changes in the body can cause gum inflammation and easy bleeding, making it impossible for the mother to brush her teeth properly because she will feel pain in her mouth. What inevitably follows is toothache.
2. Eat often
Expectant mothers tend to eat more frequently than normal people, which causes food particles to get stuck between their teeth. Especially if they don’t brush their teeth after every meal, and some may already have pain due to the first reason, toothache and tooth decay are not difficult to find.
3. Stomach acid
People who experience morning sickness and vomiting will also have stomach acid coming out. This acid will erode the teeth, causing tooth decay. Finally, there will be a lot of bacteria in the mouth, which can also pass on germs to the baby in the womb.
Is it true that pregnant women get tooth decay because their baby takes away calcium ?
The belief or rumour that pregnant mothers will have toothache, toothache, and tooth decay because the baby in the womb draws calcium from the mother, the truth is that calcium from the mother’s teeth cannot dissolve into the bloodstream to build the baby’s bones and teeth. If there is a high demand for calcium, the baby will draw calcium from the mother’s bones to use first.
How to relieve toothache for expecting mothers? How to relieve toothache in 1 minute
1. Hot compress
Apply a towel soaked in warm water or a hot water bottle to the painful cheek area. Be careful not to get it near the eye area, as this can cause injury.
2. Apply cold compress.
Whenever you feel throbbing pain and swollen gums, apply ice for about 5 minutes. Repeat this every half hour and the symptoms will gradually ease.
3. Rinse your mouth with salt water.
Mix about 1 teaspoon of salt with about 1 cup of boiled water. Stir until dissolved. Then gargle for about half a minute before spitting it out. The salt will help relieve swollen gums.
4. Acupressure
You may try gently massaging the cheek above the aching tooth or using a small ice cube to press on the painful area, which will also help relieve the symptoms. Some people solve the problem by soaking their feet in warm water, some people have their father massage them to relieve the pain, and some people use Thai massage services, depending on what is more convenient for them.
5. Eat vegetables to relieve pain.
Dental food: Morning glory, which we all know helps with eyesight, can also help relieve toothache. Just pound the morning glory roots until fine, squeeze out the juice, and mix with vinegar. Then hold it in your mouth for about 5 minutes, then spit it out. Or bitter melon, a vegetable that seems very bitter but has many more properties, can also help with this problem. Pound the bitter melon roots until fine, then put them into the aching tooth. Press it with your tongue for a while, then spit it out. You will gradually feel better. It is called “Sweet is faint, bitter is medicine”. The real deal, the real voice.
And we may have heard that rinsing your mouth with salt water frequently can reduce toothache. But if you rinsing too frequently, you may get negative effects from the salt mixed with water instead. Because salt contains high sodium, which is not good for your health. Therefore, we recommend that you try boiling coriander seeds with water and rinsing your mouth frequently. Don’t be afraid that you will get too much sodium. It also relieves toothache.
In addition, a helper that many people know about is aloe vera, a universal herb that can treat a variety of symptoms. It not only helps heal wounds or cool down, but it can also kill germs and break down the toxins of germs. Therefore, it is not strange that it is used to treat toothache due to tooth decay. Simply wash off all the latex from aloe vera, cut it into small pieces, and place it between the aching teeth. Or, you can take a cotton swab and dip it in aloe vera gel and apply it to the aching area to temporarily relieve the pain.
6. Try not to take painkillers.
Mothers must be very careful about this. If you don’t feel the pain is too much or you can still tolerate it, you should avoid taking any type of medication, especially during the first 8-10 weeks of pregnancy because this is the period when the baby’s brain, lungs, and heart are developing. Taking certain types of medication can cause the baby’s organs to develop abnormally. However, you should always consult a doctor if you have to take any type of medication.
Pregnant women with toothaches take paracetamol and toothache medicine. How does this affect the baby?
If a mother takes more than the recommended amount of paracetamol, the excessive amount of paracetamol can cause side effects to the fetus, such as:
- Infants are 30% more likely to have attention deficit disorder and autism than children who were not given medication while pregnant.
- Infants are about 29% more likely to develop asthma as they age than infants who did not receive medication in the womb.
How does a pregnant woman’s tooth decay affect her baby in the womb?
- Premature birth Oral infections such as gingivitis or untreated tooth decay can cause inflammation that affects the hormones that regulate birth, increasing the risk of preterm birth.
- Low birth weight. An infection in your mother’s mouth can cause your baby to be underweight, which can affect your baby’s development after birth.
- Transmission of germs: Bacteria that are caused by tooth decay can spread into the mother’s bloodstream and affect the baby’s immune system.
Pregnant women have tooth decay. What should they do? How should they take care of themselves to keep their baby safe?
What do pregnant women do to prevent tooth decay? Before tooth decay becomes a chronic problem affecting both the mother and the little member about to be born, all mothers should prevent this disease by brushing their teeth regularly every day, morning and before bed (or if possible, brush after 3 meals). You should brush for 2 minutes each time. Use dental floss to help in areas where a toothbrush cannot reach. Choose a toothpaste that contains fluoride because fluoride helps prevent tooth enamel decay and increases the tooth enamel’s resistance to acid.
In addition, mothers should not eat food that is too hard, including food that is very hot or very cold because it will cause the loss of tooth enamel. And should inform the dentist about the toothache in the most detail so that treatment can be given early and will help reduce the possible dangers.
However, the best way to treat toothache is to prevent it from happening by taking care of your mouth and teeth to be clean and good at all times, such as brushing your teeth at least twice a day, flossing to remove food particles and plaque, eating a healthy diet, and getting regular dental checkups for good oral health.
Republished with permission from theAsianParent Thailand
