Do you have one?
What makes Easy Clean so great?
- I love the 2 minute timer (which is the recommended amount of time to do for brushing)
- The gradual increase of the brushes. It gets stronger as you get used to the sensation and using an electrical brush.
- The cleaning action of the brush drives fluid between the teeth! Yay, less dentists visits!
- Angles head brush so you can get back there and deep clean nicely.
- Safe and gentle
- Helps to whiten teeth and removes plaque 2x better than manual brushing
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| EasyClean, photo courtesy of Philips |
Now lets talk pregnancy and oral health. As we are trying to conceive I am making sure everything is top notch with my health and with a family of heart disease and periodontal issues, oral care is something we don't "cheat" on. No mater how tired I am I have to brush my teeth.
I had the privilege to ask Dr.Odiatu, Sonicare's foremost dental expert on the issues that can arise from poor dental care and how pregnancy can affect the gums as well as well as why it's optimal to use a brush like Sonicare.
EM&B: What are some changes that can happen to the teeth while pregnant?
Dr.Odiatu:
Many pregnant moms suffer from nausea. Morning sickness may not only be experienced in the am, but anytime.
One of the biggest challenges with nausea for the expectant mother is home care.
If an expectant mom is feeling sick the last thing she might want to do is brush her teeth thoroughly. Missing posterior teeth due to sensation of gagging, will allow plaque to accumulate.
With home care not being ideal, it can easily lead to bleeding gums (gingivitis) or if left long enough (gums lifting away from the tooth and bone loss (periodontist)
Both of these conditions means there will be higher levels of inflammation in the mother's body which puts her immune system on high alert.
It has been demonstrated in the scientific literature that poor oral hygiene during pregnancy may lead to lower birth weight babies, preterm birth. An article in Obstetrics and Gynecology February 2010 Vol 115 pp 442-445 reported of a stillbirth that took place after a mother reported she had excessive bleeding in her gums during her pregnancy. Researchers suspected she had pregnancy -associated gingivitis. They did add that usually a pregnant mother's immune system handles bacteria in her blood way before it reaches the baby in the placenta. In the case reported in the article, the mother had experienced a severe cold during that same period and it could have weakened the expectant mother's immune system and allowed the oral bacteria to reach the placenta.
EM&B: Should one take oral health more seriously while pregnant?
Dr. Odiatu:
Yes in no uncertain terms. It is a particularly important time for the expectant mother to maintain optimal health through excellent nutrition and ideal oral hygiene's at home.
EM&B: What are some optimal oral health products you recommend for a healthy smile?
Dr.Odiatu:
Power tooth brush with a smaller head than the average person usually selects. A smaller brush allows for better access for difficult to reach areas (ie: tongue side of lower back teeth and cheek side of upper posterior molars).
The best power or electric brushes have 2 minute timers on them (the ideal amount of time to brush. The average adults has been known to brush only for 45 seconds).
Flossing with string floss is best; however the success rate of implementation for string floss is 10% of the population. With such low compliance, professionals have been seeking alternative solutions for years. I like AirFloss by Philips due to its ease of use, effectiveness of disrupting the plaque between teeth and ability to do the entire mouth in 1 minute.
One of the most intriguing features of the AirFloss is that mouthwash can be placed into the small 1/2 teaspoon reservoir and it will leave the mouth further refreshed. Having this additional feature is a timely way to do two things at once. Clean between the teeth, freshen breath and mouthwashes usually contain an anti-microbial ingredients.
I believe also in having the expectant mom, maintain her regular routine professional dental office visits for examination by a dentist and cleaning /polish by the hygienist. The trained professional is especially careful to have the expectant mom avoid laying flat on her back which could compromise blood flow during specific trimesters.
Dr.Odiatu:
Oral surgery is not recommended during pregnancy unless there is an infection that could jeopardize the mom or baby's health.
The first trimester is not a good time for any dental procedures that are elective as this is the period where the babies vital organs (brain, heart, etc are developing). The safest time for dental procedures deemed necessary by the dentist (other than routine cleaning /polishing) is the second or third trimester.
With the main caution during the third trimester being the comfort level of the mother with laying on her back. The dental Hygienists are very attentive to an expectant mother's needs and would position the chair "not so flat" and the mother almost on her side.
EM&B: Are there common problems that moms to be can experience while pregnant?
Dr.Odiatu:
Poor sleep quality may also make the expectant mother have an exaggerated response to a normal amount of plaque due to increased inflammation from a compromised immune system due to lack of sleep. A diet high in refined carbohydrates may also lead to inflammation in the body. Sweet treats (candies), excessive saturated fats (from junk food cravings) have also been shown in the literature to cause the body to have "postprandial dysmetabolism" (after meal disruption of the body) resulting in among other things an abnormal inflammatory immune response (J Am Dent Assoc. Vol 140 No 2, 178-184).
EM&B: How scary is bacteria in the teeth and through genes or poor oral care can disease develop and harm the fetus?
Dr.Odiatu:
See above answer. But that being said, there is only one known case of stillbirth reported in the literature associated with a gum infection. So the situation is extremely rare, but dental professionals are aware of it. And most newly expectant mothers know the importance of all over body care (nutrition, stress management strategies to maintain mood, and excellent oral care at home, and regular professional exams from the dentist and cleanings).
EM&B: What should every pregnant mom know about proper oral health?Dr.Odiatu:
See above answers.
1. Visit her DDS and Hygienist regularly
2. Try alternatives to flossing like the AirFloss so she can maintain optimal home care
3. Maintain a healthy diet including a variety of fruits and vegetables
4. Limit junk food (doesn't support healthy gums and teeth)
5. Use a power tooth brush as opposed to a manual brush so she has a times for more complete brushing when she is tired at night and also to remind her to clean all 4 quadrants equally (the best power or electric brushes have a quad pacer which tells the expectant mom to switch sides of the mouth ( dental professionals divide the mouth into 4 areas: lower right, lower left, upper right, upper left).
I hope you found the info interesting and insightful. Sonicare can be found at most major department stores.
Thank you Dr.Uche Odiatu for taking the time to answer my questions and to Sonicare for providing me with a wonderful product!
Thank you Dr.Uche Odiatu for taking the time to answer my questions and to Sonicare for providing me with a wonderful product!
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