Table of Content
How to Prevent Shifting Teeth During Pregnancy
by Dylan Hao |
When you’re pregnant, you read and hear a lot about how your body is changing. Your little bean grows into a pear, then a grapefruit, then a watermelon … and your organs shift as your belly stretches to accommodate the growth.
However, one area of adjustment that is often overlooked is the mouth. Pregnancy often brings some unexpected dental complications, including shifting teeth.
Because of myths like “You shouldn’t go to the dentist when you’re pregnant,” many women experience unnecessary dental health complications. The fact is that routine checkups and some basic treatments are perfectly safe, and these preventative care steps can help you catch and avoid symptoms like teeth shifting during pregnancy.
Why do your teeth move when you’re expecting a baby, and how can you prevent this problem from happening to you? Read on to find out the answers to this common pregnancy-related dental health complication.
How Pregnancy Impacts Your Dental Health and Can Shift Your Teeth
Every pregnancy is unique, whether you’re expecting your first child or you’ve had a half dozen already. Predicting what may happen to your body as you go through this journey is challenging. But one thing that’s quite clear to all pregnant women is that these nine months bring about significant hormonal changes.
Most people know these sudden hormone shifts can lead to mood changes, but what else are they doing to your body?
Connecting Your Hormones to Your Teeth Health
When you’re pregnant, your progesterone and estrogen levels increase, leading to the stereotypical pregnancy mood swings of the first trimester. By the third trimester, an increase in oxytocin smooths this out and improves your mood, getting you ready to give birth.
Other hormones, like prolactin, aid in the overall process, guiding your body to do what’s necessary to create a life, like letting you know that you must have chocolate cake or ice cream (read: sugar or calcium).
Not only do these hormones boost your cravings, but they also increase the levels of acidity in the mouth, which can mean a greater risk of cavities.
Third Trimester Dental Dangers
Since your little one is pulling the vitamins and minerals from your body into theirs, you need to keep up with your nutrition. Otherwise, you will begin to lose the calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium your teeth need to stay strong and healthy.
These depleted vitamins don’t show up immediately. Their effects can take months to show, with the damage most frequently visible in the third trimester.
This portion of pregnancy is famous for increasing bacteria and plaque in the mouth. If you’re not diligent about your oral health, the influx may lead to bleeding gums, gingivitis, or, in some cases, gum or bone infection.
At the same time, the bones and ligaments in your body—including your mouth—temporarily loosen. This step is essential to preparing you to give birth, but it causes the teeth to lose their permanent hold and shift into a new position.
Hormones can also affect your teeth later in life, read: Why Teeth Can Shift During Menopause (and What to Do About It).
Causes of Pregnancy-Related Teeth Shifting
This common side effect of motherhood might sound scary, but it’s usually temporary.
Our teeth are attached to the jaw with a rubber band-like connective tissue called the periodontal ligament. This bundle of fibers anchors the tooth root in place and is sealed with cementum. The ligament is also flexible enough to shift when necessary, which is what happens when you wear braces to correct a tooth misalignment.
Just as newly straightened teeth will adjust back into their normal position if you don’t wear a retainer, so, too, will your pregnancy-shifted teeth likely return to their original spots over time.
Still, it can be nerve-wracking to see your smile change from what you’re used to, and you’d rather prevent this shift if possible. Various factors lead to pregnancy-related teeth shifting. Some are unavoidable, like hormone changes in your body, but others are preventable — if you know about them before it’s too late!
Let’s examine the different reasons your teeth may shift throughout this nine-and-a-half-month journey.
Changing Hormones
It may seem like hormones are blamed for everything in a pregnancy, but that’s because they are the main reason for just about every change in your body!
When it comes to teeth shifting, the increased estrogen and progesterone loosen the bones and tissues, as we mentioned earlier.
Then, there is relaxin, a hormone produced by the placenta and ovaries. This extra chemical softens the ligaments connecting the jawbone, teeth, and gums, “relaxing” them.
If your teeth aren’t firmly cemented in place with plenty of vitamins and minerals to keep them strong, your risk of shifting teeth increases along with the level of relaxin produced.
Weight Gain
Another similarity every pregnancy brings with it is weight gain. In a healthy pregnancy, most women gain between 25 and 35 pounds (although this number varies depending on their pre-pregnancy health). While gaining weight, your organs shift to make room for the growing baby in your womb. This shifting can be systematic, impacting your mouth.
Inflammation
Your body’s natural inflammatory response kicks in when you become pregnant. This phase is intended to be a safety measure to prevent germs and viruses from entering your body. However, it has a counter-effect of increasing plaque and bacteria due to inflamed gums.
For this reason, pregnancy-related gingivitis is a common side effect. Gum disease releases toxins that infect tissues and bones and cause teeth to loosen.
This issue is preventable, though, if you follow your dental hygiene routine and visit the dentist for regular cleanings and exams. Even if you develop pregnancy gingivitis, it is usually reversible with care.
Poor Oral Health
Between morning sickness, hormone-related mood swings, and weight gain, the last thing you probably feel like doing is getting up to brush your teeth before bed or after vomiting. But when you let your oral health routine slack, you’re quickly sliding into cavities and shifting teeth.
Left to fester, the increased acid in your mouth from vomit erodes the enamel in your teeth. And the increased bacteria and plaque from your hormone changes cause tooth decay.
You may be too tired to shower or get dressed, but if you want to prevent shifting teeth and cavities, brush twice daily and scrub your teeth clean after any morning sickness bouts.
Stress-Related Bruxism and TMDs
With all those hormones floating around and major changes happening within your body, it’s understandable that your stress levels are increasing. This natural reaction to creating a child has another unexpected side effect: it boosts your risk of developing stress-related bruxism or temporomandibular disorders (TMDs).
Bruxism, a sleep disorder characterized by jaw clenching and teeth grinding, is frequently seen in pregnant women. The good news is that it can disappear on its own after you give birth when your hormones even out again.
On the other hand, a TMD means that damage has been done to your temporomandibular joint (TMJ), the delicate hinge that connects your jawbone and skull. Studies on the relationship between TMDs and pregnancy show a strong link between the two, although the reasons for this connection are still uncertain.
How to Prevent Shifting Teeth During Pregnancy
You want to do everything you can to ensure the baby inside you is growing safely and healthily, and that starts with taking care of yourself. As you avoid unhealthy habits and focus on things that increase your well-being, you also minimize your risk of shifting teeth.
While you can’t do too much about your fluctuating hormones, there are a few crucial steps you can take to reduce the damage to your teeth that could happen during your pregnancy. These simple steps only take a few minutes a day or small, temporary habit changes, but the results will be impactful and have long-term benefits on your overall health.
Visit Your Dentist
The myth of dentistry's dangers is just that: a myth. Although research has proven dental X-rays safe for babies, most dentists won’t perform radiography on pregnant women unless necessary.
However, you can have cleanings and checkups. Letting the hygienist use professional tools and cleaning methods to remove plaque and tartar reduces the chances of gum disease, which can lead to teeth shifting.
Your dentist can monitor your teeth and gums for any signs of changes, such as eroding enamel from teeth grinding. Catching these visible warnings early gives you time to stop the damage before it worsens. For instance, if you had pre-pregnancy gingivitis, it could turn into periodontal disease if it isn’t addressed quickly.
The American Pregnancy Association recommends treating cavities or other dental issues quickly. Fillings and crowns are safe, and emergency treatments such as extractions and root canals are also encouraged if necessary.
The APA suggests the ideal time for dental treatments is your second trimester, as laying flat on your back for the procedures during your third trimester can be uncomfortable. However, if you’re concerned about any treatments your dentist recommends, talk to your obstetrician.
Cosmetic treatments such as teeth whitening should be deferred until after you have the baby and aren’t nursing.
Wear a Night Guard
If you suspect you have bruxism or you’ve been diagnosed with the condition, the next step is to wear a custom-made night guard while you sleep. This small oral appliance looks like a retainer but slides over your top or bottom arch to prevent the upper and lower teeth from touching.
You may find another happy side effect of wearing a night guard aside from the avoidance of shifting teeth. Consistent use of this mouth guard can improve your sleep, keeping you from waking up throughout the night for seemingly “no reason” and boosting your quality of rest.
The key is to use a night guard designed especially for your unique teeth shape, which isn’t possible with over-the-counter, cheap options. High-quality, professional guards use an impression of your mouth to create an appliance that fits your teeth like a slim, comfortable glove, but can be expensive.
JS Dental Lab offers a middle ground, providing the professional appliances of a dentist’s office at affordable prices. With our mail-order kits, you create the impression of your teeth in the comfort of your home. Your new night guard is delivered to your door quickly, so you can start getting the quality rest you need during this special time and the peace of mind of knowing you’re avoiding potential teeth shifting.
Improve Your Oral Health Routine
Optimizing your oral health care routine at home can be as simple as buying a more effective toothpaste or an electric toothbrush and brushing at least twice daily. After any morning sickness bouts (at any time of day), be sure you scrub your teeth and tongue to eliminate the acids.
Flossing once a day is an essential part of dental care. This quick step pulls out any leftover food particles or tartar that are missed with the toothbrush before they can do any damage to the teeth and gums.
Avoiding sugary or acidic foods and beverages is good for the baby and your teeth. You may have a craving for something sweet or crunchy, but try to find an alternative over your normal, possibly less-healthy go-to’s.
These changes don’t have to be forever — just until you’re out of the teeth-shifting danger zone. Wear your night guard and boost your dental routine until your pregnancy is over and shortly after you’re done nursing.
Once your hormones have had a chance to settle, you can get back to life in your new “normal” without worrying about how your pregnancy could harm your smile.
Conclusion
From puberty to menopause, women deal with the effects of fluctuating hormones on their physical and mental state. But pregnancy brings the most powerful changes, as your estrogen and progesterone levels ebb and flow and other hormones hit the scene.
These effects are often responsible for tooth movement, yet they don’t have to be. With these simple steps and habit tweaks — and a night guard from JS Dental Lab — you can switch your focus to excitement for your new little one instead of concern about your possible changing smile.
