Helping
you smile during pregnancy
If you're pregnant or planning to conceive, there's every reason to
smile.
Taking care of your health and wellbeing is crucial during your pregnancy;
however a recent Oral-BŪ survey, hosted on the National Childbirth Trust
website*, revealed that 49% of the women surveyed had no idea why daily
oral care is so important during pregnancy.
In fact, 61% of them rated brushing their teeth properly as one of
the least important factors of their pregnancy wellbeing. Despite this,
38% of the women surveyed reported that their gums bled while they were
pregnant, but one in three didn't know why.
Preventing gum disease
During pregnancy your blood flow increases by 30-50%, which explains
those radiant rosy cheeks but also explains the increased blood flow
to your gums that can cause gum disease.
The increased levels of oestrogen and progesterone in your body can
also cause gum sensitivity. During pregnancy if a women suffers from
both gum disease and gum sensitivity this is a condition known as pregnancy
gingivitis.
In
the UK, 50% of pregnant women suffer from pregnancy gingivitis, which
left untreated this could effect mother and baby.
During pregnancy your blood flow increases by 30-50%, which explains
those radiant rosy cheeks but also explains the increased blood flow
to your gums that can cause gum disease.
The increased levels of oestrogen and progesterone in your body can
also cause gum sensitivity.
During pregnancy if a women suffers from both gum disease and gum
sensitivity this is a condition known as pregnancy gingivitis.
In the UK, 50% of pregnant women suffer from pregnancy gingivitis,
which left untreated this could effect mother and baby.
The protect in pregnancy campaign
To highlight the importance of good oral care during pregnancy, Oral-BŪ
is working with Gabby Logan and a number of experts in the field of
oral care, pregnancy and nutrition and has launched a Protect in Pregnancy
campaign.
This campaign
focuses on good oral health throughout pregnancy, highlighting the importance
of all the different aspects of health and wellbeing during pregnancy
- from nutrition to relaxation.
Mother of twins and celebrity Gabby Logan, is helping to raise awareness
of the campaign, having experienced oral health problems throughout
her pregnancy. She feels that it is important to make women aware of
this issue
: "I noticed that when I brushed too hard my gums started to recede
and bleed, which really wasn't a look I wanted to be sporting, so I
had to quickly learn to brush more effectively."
If you would like to receive more information about all the different
aspects of well-being during pregnancy, please download the Oral-BŪ
Protect in Pregnancy guide from www.nct.co.uk.
Oral-BŪ's
official UK dentist Dr Surinder Hundle Top Tips for Good Oral Health
throughout pregnancy:
