Healthy Gums For New Moms

By Joey & Luke

Throughout all of life's stages, maintaining good oral health is important to your overall health. Poor oral health can put anyone at higher risk for heart attack, stroke, diabetes, lung infections, and pre-term low birth weight babies. These diseases are correlated in fact to oral bacteria and inflammation caused by it.

As with all other organs and tissues in the human body, your gums and teeth can be affected by hormone changes that occur with pregnancy and after the baby comes. During and post-pregnancy hormone levels fluctuate which can make it harder to prevent oral diseases such as gingivitis, periodontitis and dental decay. Besides hormones fluctuations, changes in diet and sleep can make caring for your oral cavity even more difficult.

Below are some health care tips for new moms...

• Hormones change the way gum tissues react to oral bacteria and plaque making them much more sensitive. Thus aim to remove oral bacteria as much as possible. Try to brush 2-3 times per day for two minutes, consider an electric toothbrush for increased effectiveness in removing bacteria.
• Flossing once per day is important to reach the bacterial plaque below the gum line that your toothbrush cannot remove.
• Use an antibacterial and fluoridated mouth rinse daily to help prevent gingivitis and dental decay.
• Nutrition is important for both baby and new mom. Ensure that your diet includes plenty of vitamins and minerals. Vitamin A, C, and calcium are important for healthy teeth and gums. If you are unable to eat a varied diet, taking a high-quality multivitamin can help assist in deficiencies.
• Attend your dentist regularly for a professional dental cleaning and examination.
• Sleep is hard to come by with a new baby. New moms require a minimum of 6 hours of sleep to fight oral infections and regenerate new cells. Sleep when the baby sleeps is a good thing to follow.

Following these tips can help you prevent oral disease not only during and post-pregnancy but for a lifetime!