Dental examinations and treatment should not be regarded as an isolated episode undertaken during pregnancy. Dental care is an essential part of health care, which should continue through childhood, adolescence, the childbearing years, and onwards.
If you have any concerns about dental treatment during pregnancy, you are welcome to discuss it with your obstetrician.
X-rays: Where necessary, there is no reason to defer X-rays during pregnancy as long as standard precautions such as high-speed films and collimated beams are used. Lead shielding is no longer required under the latest guidelines.
Pain or infection: Prompt treatment of infections and/or pain is essential to prevent a rise in body temperature, and to prevent the release of bacterial poisons.
If required, paracetamol (e.g."Panadol") is the painkiller of choice, and penicillin (e.g. amoxycillin - "Moxacin") is the best type of antibiotic. All the local anaesthetics used in dentistry such as lidocaine, mepivacaine, prilocaine, articaine are safe.
Treatment: Treatment can be performed at any stage during pregnancy. If you are having difficulties with your pregnancy, the dentist may discuss treatment with your doctor.
Preventative treatment requiring cleaning and topical fluorides should continue to be performed regularly, preferably in the 1st and 3rd trimesters. Take particular care to keep gums clean and healthy as they are more susceptible to infection due to the hormonal changes. A balanced diet following general dietary principles is advised. Food and drinks containing sugars should be minimised for the mother's dental health.
"A tooth lost for every child..." is a myth that is NOT true. The developing child does NOT take its calcium from your teeth, but from your long bones instead e.g. legs and ribs. Teeth do not contain bone marrow and therefore cannot be broken down internally. True reasons for the decay relating to pregnancy can be vomiting of stomach acids during morning sickness, or changes in eating and oral hygiene habits.
This document follows the Code of Practice and Safety Guide
For Radiation Protection in Dentistry 2005