Who knew?! It turns out pregnancy and dental health are connected.

Research indicates a link between poor oral health and preterm birth, low birth weight, and possibly pre-eclampsia (a dangerous pregnancy complication). One study in The Journal of the American Dental Association [I can no longer find the link for this] found pregnant women with chronic gum disease were four to seven times more likely to deliver prematurely (before 37 weeks) than those with healthy gums; women in the group with more severe periodontal disease delivered even earlier (before 32 weeks). However, how they are linked or how periodontitis may lead to these outcomes is not fully understood.

The American Dental Society has other resources for women and pregnancy, like this article on Nutrition tips for pregnancy and Is it safe to go to the dentist during pregnancy? They have other articles on their pregnancy resource page.

Other resources include the CDC, the American Family Physician, NIH, and Colgate. The American Pregnancy Association has resources on dental work and a wide range other topics.

While you will see from these sources, it is safe to get dental care during pregnancy, some procedures are much more complicated. For our practice, there is a small window when someone can get root canal treatment regardless of the pain she is in. For these reasons, if you are trying to get pregnant, it’s much better to go to your dentist for a total dental checkup first, just as it is to go to your MD for a health checkup.