Pregnancy is a life-changing time in a woman’s life, and she makes many sacrifices to bring a healthy baby into the world. For nine months, she shouldn’t drink alcohol, smoke, eat certain seafood or unpasteurized foods, or do potentially dangerous activities. In other words, she does everything she can to reduce the risk of harm to her and her baby.
Still, if you’re like most expecting moms, you try to carry on with life as before. You still do what needs to be done. However, should you proceed with getting dental implants for your missing tooth while you’re pregnant? Your dentist will likely say no, that the procedure will have to occur after birth. Even if you are anxious to get started, here are some important concepts to consider.
Necessary vs. Elective Dental Work
As an expecting mom, you’ll soon learn how to prioritize tasks, if you haven’t already that is. You have to weigh the procedure’s necessity and the risks to you and your baby’s health.
For instance, if you have a tooth infection, the cavity could threaten your safety as well as your growing baby, which means it needs to be treated with a filling or crown as soon as possible to protect you both. Although dental implants are the best option you have for replacing missing teeth, the procedure isn’t urgent, and the surgery comes with risks. It’s simply safest to delay this elective treatment until after the baby is born.
Oral Health and Pregnancy
Another reason to postpone getting dental implants until after your pregnancy is over is that your hormonal changes can drastically impact your oral health in general. Gestational gingivitis and cavities can present enough problems with simply keeping your mouth healthy, much less making it a hospitable environment for implants. Until your hormones return to normal, and your mouth has resumed a healthy state, dental implants shouldn’t be considered yet.
Replacing Missing Teeth during Pregnancy
Unless your lost tooth is located near the back of your mouth, chances are you will want and need some sort of replacement while you wait for the baby to arrive. After all, you don’t want your teeth to shift out of alignment on top of everything else you’re experiencing. As a result, your dentist can provide a temporary restoration that safely completes your smile while you finish your pregnancy. Once the baby is born, you can revisit the idea of dental implants.
In the grand scheme of time, nine months isn’t too long to wait to replace your missing teeth with dental implants. When you think about spending a lifetime raising your child, postponing this treatment is a small sacrifice to make to give them the best chances of health and happiness.
About the Practice
At Smile Fitness Dental Center, you don’t have to visit several dental offices to get the care you need. Here, with our qualified, highly trained dentists, you can receive preventive services, necessary restorative care, and dental implants all under one roof. If you have oral health concerns during your pregnancy, feel free to schedule an appointment with us online or call our Phoenix office at 623-303-0967.