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Whether it’s your first child or you’re an experienced mom, pregnancy is an exciting time—which you’ll be able to enjoy much more once the days of morning sickness are over.

Morning sickness affects most pregnant women, and can present in any number of ways. It might take the form of mild nausea, or cause frequent vomiting. It often occurs in the morning hours, but can take place at any time of day. It’s usually over with by the second trimester, or it can last weeks longer. Because of this wide variety of symptoms, morning sickness is more accurately referred to as NVP, the nausea and vomiting of pregnancy.

Your doctor can recommend safe and effective ways to deal with NVP, especially when symptoms are more severe. We have some recommendations to minimize the effect of morning sickness on your dental health.

Wait, dental health? That’s right. Besides its more obvious unpleasant consequences, NVP can cause problems for your teeth and gums. We have a few suggestions for getting you through the weeks of morning sickness with easy and effective strategies to protect your oral health.

Prevent Acid Damage

Vomiting and heartburn with reflux expose the teeth to stomach acids. Tooth enamel is the strongest substance in the body, but it’s not safe from acid attacks.

Normally, the pH balance in our mouths is neutral, around a 7 on a scale of 0 to 14. When acidic conditions lower the oral pH to 5.5 or below, the minerals in enamel begin to dissolve, leading to sensitivity and, eventually, cavities. The pH of our stomach acid ranges from 1.5 to 2.5. This is great for digesting food, but not great at all for enamel and sensitive gum tissue.

Whenever we vomit, the immediate (and understandable!) impulse is to reach for our toothbrushes. But this is an impulse we should resist. Because acids weaken tooth enamel, scouring the teeth with a toothbrush right away can cause more erosive damage. Instead,

• Wait half an hour or more before brushing to give your enamel time to recover its strength.
• In the meantime, rinse with water and perhaps a bit of toothpaste or diluted, doctor-approved mouthwash.

Keep Hydrated

Another consequence of frequent vomiting is dehydration. It’s always important to keep our bodies properly hydrated, and this is particularly true during pregnancy.

Hydration is also essential for oral health. Saliva helps wash away the bacteria and food particles which cause cavities and irritate the gums—especially important now, since pregnancy hormones can leave you more vulnerable to gingivitis and other forms of gum disease.

• Drink water as recommended by your doctor. It’s healthy, it hydrates, and it helps prevent cavities and gum disease. Win/win/win.
• Whichever fluids are your favorites, drinking them in measured amounts through the day will be more effective and more appetizing than drinking large amounts once or twice a day to catch up.
• You have a busy life, so make things easy on yourself. If you need to hydrate more, keep track of your hydration goals with an app or a phone notification. There are even “smart bottles” to track your intake. Or go old school, and fill a bottle marked with timed measurements to remind you to hydrate through your day.

When The Very Idea of Brushing Is Nauseating . . .

When just the thought of brushing is unappetizing, we have suggestions which might help.

• Postpone brushing until later in the day when you feel better. Rinse with water first thing in the morning instead.
• Trade in your regular toothbrush for one with a smaller brush head. This can help prevent the gag reflex.
• Brush slowly, using small strokes.
• If brushing the back teeth is particularly triggering, try deep breathing or sitting down to brush.

We want to help you enjoy a healthy pregnancy. Let us know when you first learn you’re pregnant. We have some valuable tips for the coming months, including suggestions for reducing the dental effects of NVP. Fortunately, morning sickness is temporary, and we’re here with ideas to help your beautiful smile last a lifetime!

You and your dentist are essential partners in making sure you have the best dental care. You do your part by eating a tooth-healthy diet, brushing and flossing as recommended, and seeing Dr. Pohl regularly for checkups and cleanings.

And one more essential step you can take for your dental health? Let Dr. Pohl know which prescriptions and over the counter medications you’re taking.

Medications Have Oral/Dental Side Effects

We’ve all grown used to hearing “Possible side effects include . . .” at the end of every pharmaceutical commercial. That’s because those unintended side effects can affect our health in any number of unexpected ways—and this includes oral health.

For example, a common side effect of many medications is xerostomia, or “dry mouth.” Because saliva helps keep our teeth and gums healthy by washing away food particles and oral bacteria and by reducing acidity in the mouth, a reduction in saliva production means a greater risk of cavities, gum disease, oral infections, denture discomfort, and bad breath.

Knowing a patient is taking one of the hundreds of medications which cause xerostomia allows Dr. Pohl to both monitor the condition and suggest the most effective treatment options to control unpleasant symptoms.

Medications can cause not only dry mouth, but excessive gum tissue growth, oral sores, tooth discoloration, and changes in taste, among other side effects, so knowing which medications you’re taking can provide essential information for the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions.

Medications Interact

Medication might be needed for your dental treatment. Because certain drugs, supplements, and even some vitamins and foods can affect the way our bodies metabolize, absorb, and respond to other medications, we need to know which medicines you’re taking to arrive at your best treatment options.

• There are different classes of antibiotics used to treat oral infections. Knowing your medical history enables Dr. Pohl to choose an antibiotic option which won’t interact with your other medications.
• Local anesthetics such as lidocaine, which numb the area to be treated, can also interact with certain medications. Dr. Pohl can prescribe an alternative local anesthetic or adjust the dosage as needed.
• If you will be using sedation during your procedure, you have several options, including nitrous oxide gas, oral sedation, or IV sedation. Be sure we know about all of your medications beforehand because of possible interactions. Changes can be made to the type of sedation and/or the dosage as needed.

Medications Impact Treatment

It’s important for Dr. Pohl to know if any of your medications will affect standard treatments.

Anticoagulants, for example, are a necessary medication for preventing blood clots from forming, and are often prescribed for certain heart conditions, after joint replacement surgery, or for anyone at risk for developing blood clots. Because these medications prevent the blood from clotting, it’s important to let us know if you are taking such drugs before any kind of oral surgery.

If needed, Dr. Pohl can work with you and your doctor to create a treatment plan which will be safe, effective, and designed to work with any of your medications. You should never discontinue taking your prescribed medications before dental work without medical approval, as this can be dangerous.

We need the most up to date information about your health to provide you with the best care possible. Knowing which medications you take and why you take them can help us:

• Diagnose and treat any side effects from non-dental medications which have affected your oral health,
• Prevent drug interactions from occurring, and
• Tailor your treatment to your specific medical needs.

Your prescriptions, over the counter medications, and even herbal supplements and vitamins are essential information. It’s a good idea to make a list before your next appointment at our Crescent Springs office so you have specific medications and their dosages at hand. It’s one small—but vital—step you can take to work with Dr. Pohl for your best dental health!

As adults, we often wish our teeth could be as white as they were when we were small children. Baby teeth have thinner and whiter enamel than adult teeth, and those brilliant smiles are a result! But occasionally, you may be surprised to discover some staining or discoloration on those lovely first teeth. You might be tempted to apply a whitening product to your child’s teeth, but, please—read on!

Causes of Staining

• Improper Brushing—Often, a loss of tooth whiteness means that plaque has built up on the tooth surface. Careful brushing is needed to remove bacteria and plaque, and if your child isn’t brushing at least twice a day for two minutes, discoloration can be the result.
• Medications—When given in liquid form, or when added to formula or food, iron supplements can cause dark grey staining on the teeth. Medications taken by a mother while pregnant or breast feeding, such as tetracycline, can also lead to discoloration.
• Injury—If a tooth suffers a serious injury, the tooth can darken because of changes inside the enamel.
• Health conditions—Certain health problems can cause tooth discoloration, or sometimes children are born with weaker enamel that is more likely to stain.

If you have noticed any staining on your child’s primary teeth, call our Crescent Springs office. Simple stains can often be removed with better brushing techniques, and we can clean other surface stains in the office. Staining caused by an injury or a health condition is something we can discuss in detail with you. We can even use some professional whitening methods if those are indicated.

Why not just buy a home whitening kit for your child? There are several important reasons to leave these products on the shelf while your child is young.

• Whitening kits are designed for adults. They have been tested for adult teeth in adult trials. Check the box for age appropriate use. Most products are not recommended for pre-teen children.
• Remember that thinner enamel we mentioned earlier? Add to that the delicate skin of young children, and it’s sensible to be cautious about using a bleaching agent that can cause mouth and tooth sensitivity even in adults.
• There is no body of evidence available as to the short and long term effects of using these products on children.

If you are concerned about the brightness of your child’s smile, please talk to Dr. Pohl. We can recommend better ways to brush at home, clean your child’s teeth in the office, or suggest professional methods of whitening if there are physical or psychological reasons that it would be valuable. But while your child is young, those off-the-shelf whitening products can wait a few more years.

As our nation prepares to observe its birthday, we’d like to share some timely dental tips to help make celebrating the Fourth of July more enjoyable for you and healthier for your teeth and gums.

Hydrate

It might be hot and humid where you’re living, so be sure to keep hydrated in the backyard or along the parade route. Proper hydration is essential for both your overall health and your oral health. Drinking water helps prevent cavities by washing away food particles and bacteria and reducing acidic conditions in the mouth. 

Use Ice for Cooling, not Chewing

If you’re enjoying an icy cold beverage to beat the heat, don’t crunch down on that ice! Chewing on ice can lead to immediate disaster in the form of a chipped or cracked tooth or a broken filling or crown. And, over time, munching ice will damage your enamel, making your teeth more sensitive to heat and cold and more vulnerable to cavities. 

Enjoy All Your Cookout Favorites

If you celebrate the Fourth with family and friends, there’s a good chance you’re celebrating outdoors. According to surveys, Independence Day is the most popular grilling day in the country. Are you sitting on the picnic table sidelines because of loose teeth, tooth pain, or missing teeth? Don’t miss out on any of the fun in Crescent Springs! 

• Tooth pain can be caused by cavities. It can also be a sign of a damaged tooth or an infection. If you suffer persistent tooth pain lasting several days or more, it’s time for a dental appointment.
• Gum disease can cause bone loss, loose teeth, and lost teeth, making sharing a meal with friends something you avoid instead of something you look forward to. Regular flossing, cleanings, and checkups will help keep your gums in the pink. If you have advanced gum disease, we can discuss treatment options.
• If you or a loved one wear braces, be sure your BBQ choices are not only delicious, but safe for wires and brackets. Offer menu options which are braces-friendly—that is, which are soft and easy to eat rather than hard, crunchy, or sticky. Remove kernels from corn on the cob and have utensils available to cut finger foods like burgers and hot dogs into fork-friendly bits. 
• Missing teeth not only make dining difficult, but can also lead to gum disease, decay, and misalignment in adjacent teeth. To enable you to enjoy your meals and to protect your dental health, talk to Dr. Pohl about implants, bridges, or dentures to make your smile complete again.

Whether you’re marching in the parade, enjoying a meal with family and friends, oohing and aahing at the fireworks, or all of the above, we wish you a healthy and happy Fourth of July! If you have any dental concerns, we’re here at Buttermilk Dentistry to help you achieve your best smile every day of the year.