Dental Health Guide for the Busy Woman

Dental Health Guide for the Busy Woman : Women have unique concerns about oral hygiene. Hormone changes during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause – popularly referred to change of life – as can increase your risk of oral health challenges. Conditions such as diabetes will also affect your oral health.

It is therefore important that you keep on top of your dental hygiene to ensure that you have excellent oral health, which should improve your overall health. For example, brushing, flossing, and dentist appointments will help avoid infection in the mouth and the rest of the body.

This article addresses some of the valuable details you need to know about your oral health as a busy woman.

Oral Problems that Only Women Experience

Women face distinctive oral health risks, which can jeopardise their overall health, especially during pregnancy. Severe gum disease can result from rapidly changing sex hormone levels during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and menopause, as well as from the use of an oral contraceptive.

Acid reflux caused by morning sickness can also cause tooth decay. Typical problems with oral health during pregnancy include cavities, tooth sensitivity, sore or bleeding gums and oral tumours.

Research has revealed that serious gum disease enhances the possibility of a premature birth and low birth-weight. Other health problems for women, including heart disease, diabetes, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer’s disease may also be caused by poor oral health.

Your doctor may suggest ways to alleviate your oral symptoms and maintain good oral health over the coming years. So, let your dentist know if you are going through menopause, or if you think you may be going through menopause. Talk about any oral pain, itchiness, infections or other problems you are experiencing that will help with proper diagnosis and treatment.

How Does Menopause Affect Oral Health?

Some women may experience any of the following oral problems during menopause: burning mouth disorder, dry mouth, altered taste, bone loss in the bone that supports the teeth as a result of osteoporosis, sensitivity to extreme temperature, bleeding gums or pus in between your teeth and gums, difficulty in removing dentures, mouth odour, gum disease, and so on.

A condition called menopausal gingivostomatitis may also affect a small percentage of women, according to the American Academy of Periodontology. Menopausal gingivostomatitis symptoms include dry or shiny gums, or gums that bleed or are unusually pale or deep red. In order to alleviate these symptoms, your dentist or periodontist will often prescribe special medication.

Your dentist or dental hygienist will also be help to assist you to fight the effects of menopause on your oral health.

How Does Pregnancy Affect Your Oral Health?

Pregnancy can complicate brushing. Some women experience nausea from highly aromatised toothpastes. Switching to a toothpaste with a neutral flavour may help.

Your hormone levels go up and down during pregnancy too. This increases your risk of multiple oral health issues, such as gum disease and nearly double the risk of tooth decay. Your increased hormone levels can influence your body’s reaction to plaque during pregnancy.

Pregnancy does not really damage your teeth automatically. In some women, however, the pressures of pregnancy can lead to specific dental problems. Your teeth should stay healthy throughout pregnancy with proper hygiene at home and expert help from your dentist.

How Does Your Menstrual Cycle Affect Your Oral Health?

Your hormone levels go up and down over your entire menstrual cycle. For example, high progesterone levels can cause the swelling of your gums during ovulation and a few days before you start your period. Your gums could become redder and bleed more.

You may also get more frequent canker sores during your menstrual period. Canker sores are tiny ulcers with a red border and a white or grey base. Canker sores aren’t the same as cold sores caused by type 1 herpes simplex virus (HSV-1). You can’t transmit canker sores to someone else, but you can transmit herpes sores to someone else.

How can you Prevent Oral Health Problems?

By taking the following steps, you can help prevent oral health problems.

Visit your dentist once or twice a year.
Depending on your oral health, your dentist may recommend more or fewer visits. Your dentist will check for signs of sickness, diseases and injuries during routine check-ups.
Choose a balanced diet.
Reduce your intake of sugary snacks and beverages. Reduce the chances of tooth decay by brushing between meals and flossing once a day.
Quit cigarettes.
Smoking raises the risk of gum disease, including cancer of the mouth and throat. Cigarette smoking can stain your teeth as well and cause bad breath.
Reduce soda consumption.
Try to drink fewer soda beverages. Substitute water or soda with juice instead. Even diet soda contains acids which can erode the enamel of the teeth.

In some cases, oral health problems may be exacerbated by impacted or wisdom teeth. The upper and lower third molars are wisdom teeth, found at the far back of the mouth. They are called wisdom teeth, since they typically come out between the ages of 17 and 25 when a person is old enough to learn from experience.

If your dentist decides that you have wisdom teeth problems, this NSOMS Wisdom Teeth Guide will offer tips on what you can do. Essentially, however, there’s no way to prevent an infected tooth, but proper oral care will help you avoid future complications.

Conclusion

Oral health care often has to be gender-specific, since only women undergo certain types of oral disorders. Although brushing and flossing every day is vital for both men and women, as well as a diet that will improve their oral health, women tend to go through hormonal problems that can affect their oral health. Hopefully the content of this article will include the knowledge that working women need to preserve and experience outstanding oral and general health.