When you are pregnant, you will experience a lot of changes in your body. Your hormones will change, and your body will react to these hormonal changes.
Women are usually exposed to many conditions when they are pregnant, and it is essential to be on your toes when it comes to matters regarding your health. You should have a dentist in Livington or anywhere around you that provides dental care that will be beneficial to you and your baby. Your dental health plays a significant role in ensuring your overall health, so you must have a dentist while you are pregnant.
If you need to perform a medical procedure while pregnant, your dentist will check to see if it can be pushed to after your delivery. If it is urgent, you will have to undergo the procedure. It then becomes a matter of whether or not you will be given oral sedation before your procedure.
Oral sedation or sedation dentistry is a norm in most dental treatment procedures. Dentists use oral sedation to numb pain in the mouth of their patients and make them feel relaxed. Oral sedation can be done in different ways – by using general anesthesia, deep sedation, moderate sedation, or minimal sedation.
For pregnant women, only dental checkups are recommended, and oral sedation might not be necessary. However, pregnant women who need to undergo dental treatments that require oral sedation have become a concern for many years. There is an eternal debate about if oral sedation in pregnancy is safe or not.
For pregnant women, invasive procedures during pregnancy are usually postponed till after the delivery unless it is necessary. Dental procedures like surgery to treat gum disease or placement of dental implants are invasive procedures regarded as extremely necessary. If you are going through any of these procedures, you will have to receive dental sedation during pregnancy, but is it safe? Will the sedative affect the health of your baby?
Yes, it is. Receiving pain relief while pregnant you are pregnant is safe for you and your baby. General anesthesia is the most intense form of anesthesia used in oral sedation, and many people are concerned about whether the anesthesia will affect the baby. Studies on this subject have revealed that the anesthesia does not affect either the baby or the pregnant person.
Dentists make use of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) for sedating pregnant patients. It is one form of dental sedation that is used to make patients relaxed during a procedure. Patients inhale the nitrous oxide through a mask; however, the patient will remain conscious and aware of the process.
Laughing gas has a calming effect on the body and is used mainly for simple procedures like fluoride treatment or adjustment of braces.
For less simple procedures, medications can be administered. The drug will make the patient drowsy, but they won’t fall asleep.
Moderation sedation involves the use of an IV to make a patient fall asleep during a dental procedure. You might be slightly conscious and still be able to respond to triggers from your dentist.
General anesthesia is the most potent form of oral sedation. The anesthesia puts the patient in a very deep sleep, and you will not remember anything that happened during the procedure.
The risks involved in invasive procedures depend on if you are in your first, second, third trimester. According to the American Dental Association, diagnostic, preventive, and restorative treatments are safe. However, you should consult with your dentist to discuss the best time to perform a procedure, the recovery time, and the possible risks.
Whether it is a simple tooth extraction or a more complex procedure, always ensure that you do all you can to ensure good health for your teeth and gums while you are pregnant. Go for regular dental checkups and keep good oral hygiene.
