During pregnancy, a woman should be especially mindful of her oral hygiene practices, eating habits, and professional dental care needs, because pregnancy may exaggerate some dental disorders. Not only can they help prevent oral problems during pregnancy, but they also help determine the general and dental health of your unborn child.
    Decay results from repeated acid attacks on the tooth enamel. The decay process begins with plaque, the invisible, sticky layer of harmful bacteria that constantly forms on your teeth. These bacteria use sugars and starches to produce damaging acids. Each time you eat, acid attacks your enamel for at least 20 minutes. Thus, if you snack often on sugar-rich foods throughout the day, you could be having acid attacks all day long.
    To avoid the unnecessary loss of teeth, brush after meals with a fluoride toothpaste and floss thoroughly every day to remove harmful plaque.
    Unremoved plaque on your teeth can irritate the gums, making them red, tender, and likely to bleed. This condition is called gingivitis and can lead to more serious diseases affecting the gums and bone that anchor your teeth. During pregnancy, gingivitis may occur more frequently due to a rise in your body’s hormone levels.
    What you eat during your pregnancy affects the development of your unborn child’s teeth. Your baby’s teeth begin to develop between the third and sixth months of pregnancy, so it is important that you receive sufficient amounts of nutrients – especially vitamins A, C, and D, protein, calcium and phosphorus.
    Eating a balanced diet is necessary to provide the correct amounts of nutrients to nourish you and your child. A recommended diet for a pregnant woman usually includes the following foods: four servings of breads, cereals, and grain products, four servings of fruits and vegetables, four servings of milk and dairy products, and three servings of meat, poultry, or fish.
    During pregnancy, many women have the desire to eat between meals. The best advice is to reduce the number of times you eat snacks each day. And when you do snack, select foods that contain little or no carbohydrate, especially sugars, and that help to provide the nutrients both you and your unborn child need. Nuts, cheese, raw vegetables, plain yogurt, popcorn, gelatin, and sugarless gum or candy, in moderation, are reasonable snacks from the dental health standpoint. Following your physician’s advice regarding diet is your wisest course.