Why Pregnant Women and Diabetics Should Visit an Encino Dentist More Often

Encino DentistAs an Encino dentist office, we help our patients stay in excellent oral health. If you have not visited the dentist recently, we encourage you to do so. Our goal is to help our patients retain their natural teeth for as long as possible, ideally for a lifetime. In order to do so, we perform regular dental cleanings as part of preventative care. Typically, we suggest our patients visit our office once or twice a year to have their teeth cleaned, plaque removed, and their gums inspected. However, there are certain conditions that warrant more frequent dental care. These include pregnancy and diabetes.

Pregnant women should visit their Encino dentist at least twice during pregnancy.

If you are pregnant, it is critical for you to receive regular dental care. This is not only important for your health, but also for the health of your baby. What many women do not realize is that gum disease has been linked with preterm labor and having a low birthweight baby. Both of these complications can make it necessary for a baby to spend more time in the hospital and potentially need intensive care. This risk is entirely not worth it and the reason that women receive ongoing care from an OB. a care plan needs to include trips to our dentist office, so we can clean the teeth and gums, removing any plaque or tartar that could cause gum disease. We suggest visiting our office twice during pregnancy in order to be on the safe side. These appointments are entirely safe, but we do need to know that you are pregnant so we can adjust accordingly. For example, we would not recommend sedation or take x-rays like we normally would. These and other small adjustments will ensure your teeth and gums stay healthy without there being any adverse effect on you or the baby.

Diabetics need frequent access to dental care, something we provide as an Encino dentist.

White blood cells are essential for the body’s ability to fight off infection. Whether it be the common cold, the flu, or gum disease, the body spends time fighting bacteria and viruses on a regular basis. After a diabetic episode, it is unable to do so. That is why diabetics are more prone to getting gum disease. To prevent this problem, we recommend having teeth cleaned once every three months, or after a major series of episodes. If the blood sugar remains controlled with medication and diet, this is unnecessary, since the risk for infection goes down to that of an average patient. In this case, bi-annual visits are enough. However, it can be incredibly difficult for diabetics to keep their blood sugar under control, and if you are in this situation, we encourage you not to neglect your gums.

We can provide you with more information regarding our procedures and make a customized recommendation regarding how frequently you should receive dental care. For more information, call our office and schedule an appointment today.

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