Dental fillings while pregnant

by Chelsey, answer by the Dentist
(Catoosa,Ok)

During pregnancy, physically a lot of things changes. This is also true in the oral cavity! A lot of women experience a greater caries activity than earlier; others may get gingivitis, mild inflammation in the gums. As always, keeping teeth and gums clean is important during pregnancy. One of the readers is expecting a child and has a concern about dental fillings while pregnant.

About 2 months ago I lost part of a filling in between 2 of my back teeth. I have pain at times and other times I'm fine. I'm 7 months pregnant and really want to get it checked out but not sure if I need to now or should just wait until after the baby is born. I asked my OB and she said it would be fine to go see a dentist but I don't know if I should just wait. I have filled it with a temp filling I got from the drug store, but it always falls out within a day.
So the real question is, will it kill me if I wait another 2 months to get it checked out and filled again, or should I get it seen right away?

Dear Chelsea,
Congratulations with your pregnancy! I wish you all the best for you and your baby.
When it comes to dental fillings while pregnant, I have some pieces of advice to give you. First of all, remember that caries is a chronic disease than can lead to infections if the cavities are not treated. One should therefore have a regularly checkup on teeth and gingival at a dentist. The dentist will do necessary treatment for your teeth and gums and will give you good advice concerning prophylaxis to prevent future disease. During pregnancy a lot of women change their eating pattern; either by eating more caries-promoting foods (buns, candy, chocolate, sodas etc) or eating or drinking more frequently. This can lead to a higher caries activity or caries progression than earlier. Some women also get pregnancy gingivitis; inflamed and red gums - a common trait is bleeding during tooth brushing. Either way, I strongly recommend a visit at the dentist’s office.
Chelsea; concerning your question about dental filling while pregnant, I would advice you to visit a dentist and have him or her look at the lost filling. Especially since you experience pain now and then. If you do not want to make a permanent filling if your tooth, your dentist will respect this and place a temporary filling. This can be done if you don’t want to make a permanent dental filling while pregnant. Remember to tell the dentist or the dental nurse that you are pregnant, this way they can give you some extra care and good pieces of advice.

Good luck!
Sincerely, the Dentist