The Toothache That Changed My Life

Dental implants are the ideal way to replace lost teeth. However, because the process to install dental implants is so intensive, consider waiting until after you have given birth to get them. There are several good reasons why you may want to wait until after your pregnancy before you start the process to get dental implants.

1. Dental Implants Require X-rays

Before, during, and after your dental implant surgery, your dentist will need to perform x-rays. Although the amount of radiation will be small, it's still a good idea to avoid exposing your baby to any amount of radiation, no matter how negligible the amount might be.

2. You May Need Strong Anesthesia

For the dental implant surgery, which can be very invasive, you might need strong anesthesia due to the pain you will experience during the surgery. While mild anesthesia carries no risk for unborn babies, if you have a low pain threshold, then you might need a stronger anesthetic. As such, you might be better off waiting until after you have given birth to get dental implants.

3. Fluctuating Hormones Can Interfere With Healing

While pregnant, your hormones will fluctuate. This issue is known to have an effect on the healing ability of the oral tissues, such as the gums. Since your gum tissue and bone tissue will need to heal around your gum implants, getting dental implants while pregnant could cause your dental implants to fail.

4. Morning Sickness Could Affect Your Healing Implants

Morning sickness is a very common problem suffered by pregnant women. And if you have a mouth full of healing dental implants, the acids from your stomach bile will likely have a negative impact on them. If you regularly vomit due to morning sickness, then this could prevent your dental implants from healing properly, and thus increase the risk of failure.

5. High Levels of Anxiety Can Affect Your Baby's Development

During dental implant surgery and the healing process, you will likely experience anxiety and stress. Stress is not good for an unborn child and can affect your baby's development while in the womb. This is another good reason to avoid dental implant surgery and recovery while pregnant.

Are you hoping to get dental implants soon? Then you can start planning with a prosthodontist today. And once you have given birth, you can start the treatment without any risk to you or your baby.