By Jamila Mulindwa
Being pregnant especially for new mothers comes with a lot of dos and don’ts. Many times an expectant mother is told of many things that might affect their unborn child, this includes dental treatment.
It is believed that a pregnant mother going for dental treatment runs a risk of losing her baby.
However doctors say it’s a myth. A pregnant mother can get dental care which reduces the risk of getting blood infections that can result into miscarriages and possible death of a mother.
Doctor Haruna Kiryowa, a dentist, says when pregnant, a woman faces hormonal changes with some increasing in quantity. This in turn can easily affect their mouths. Dr Kiryowa explains how hormonal changes can lead to “Gums swell, they start bleeding, emit bad smell and some may end up losing their teeth.”
Edward Kikabi, an obstetrics and gynecologist, says such issues arise due to the lowering of the mothers immune system. He says, “A mother is prone to dental diseases because their body has weakened.” He adds, “The body is sharing proteins, calcium and vitamins for the two, meaning in some cases it is not enough for the mother.”
Dr. Kiryowa warns pregnant women to take care of their dental hygiene as soon as a health shows up. He says, “I have seen pregnant women come with rotten gums, this causes blood infections and sometimes such infections affect the baby causing birth defects or even death of the baby.”
However he says when treating a pregnant woman, a dentist has to be careful with the drugs administered.” We normally keep in touch with the gynecologist attending to our patient. This helps us avoid possible complications that may rise by administering certain drugs especially in the first trimester,” Dr Kiryowa elaborates.
For a lady with a hypertension doctors are very careful, “If the case needs anesthesia we use lignocaine without adrenaline because it can stimulate the heart to pump faster, that is not good”.
So if you are pregnant with a dental problem forget what everyone else says, just go see a dentist.
