Toothache during pregnancy

Why toothache is more likely to happen during pregnancy?

 1. Morning sickness

When you vomit during pregnancy, acid from your stomach can come up from the stomach to the mouth. The acid can corrode the tooth enamel which can progress to become tooth decay and toothache during pregnancy.

2. Deficiency of calcium

Women who are pregnant need to take extra calcium throughout the pregnancy to support the development of bones of the growing fetus. Even with supplementation, pregnant women may still suffer from deficiency of calcium. When this happens, tooth enamel becomes demineralized and painful tooth decay can happen.

3. Increased blood flow

During pregnancy, there is an increased blood flow to support the pregnant women and the growing fetus. This increased blood flow can create much more sensitive and swollen gums that are tender to the touch. Hot and cold foods can therefore trigger that sensitivity, even if you've never experienced it before.

4. Hormones

During pregnancy, there is an increase in hormone level in blood. This high level of hormone makes the gum more sensitive. This can lead to increased likelihood of gum and tooth irritation and toothache.

How to prevent toothache during pregnancy?

1. Rinsing the mouth for 30 seconds after every meal

Rinsing the mouth with water after every meal can be an effective way to prevent the toothache during pregnancy.  If toothache ever happen, this method can also be used to treat the toothache.

Adding some salt into the water can also help to kill the bacteria inside the mouth.

Try to rinse for at least 30 seconds to increase its effectiveness.

2. Eat a healthy diet and reduce sugary food

Sugar can feed the bacteria inside the mouth. These bacteria then release acid that corrodes the tooth enamel which can progress to become toothache.

3. Floss at least once a day

When you floss to clean your mouth, food or particles that is stuck between teeth can be removed. This can reduce the risk of toothache.

How to treat toothache natually during pregnancy?

Warning: If toothache happens to you, you should check with your doctor before you can use any over-the-counter medicine to treat toothache. This is because some of these medicine is not suitable for pregnant women and may harm the growing fetus.

Here is some natural ways that pregnant women can take to deal with the toothache.

1. Hot compresses

Take a hot, damp cloth and apply it to the side of the face where the toothache is occurring. This method will increase blood circulation to the affected area and speed up your immune system's reponse in tackling the source of the pain.

2.  Cold ice

A cold compress using ice inside a bag can also relieve the discomfort of a toothache. Use ice cold water and soak a clean cloth with it and put it on the side of the face, this can numb the nerves that are causing the toothache.

3. Cloves

Clove oil or regular cloves can be used in pregnancy to relieve toothache pain. You can simply chew on a clove or put clove oil on a cotton ball, applying directly over the aching tooth. Clove not only alleviates the pain but it is an antiseptic that can relieve some of the infectious symptoms associated with a decayed tooth.

4. Garlic

Use of garlic can provide relief from toothache. Garlic contains allicin, which is an antibiotic agent that directly attacks the bacteria which causes the toothache. You can put the crushed garlic clove or chew on a piece of garlic to relieve toothache problems.

5. Onions

Onions have antiseptic and antimicrobial properties which is beneficial to women who experience toothache.  It can provide relief from pain of a toothache by killing the germs causing an infection.

Try chewing on a piece of raw onion for a few minutes. This can help to alleviate the pain.