Introduction

Pregnancy is an exciting time filled with changes—some expected, others surprising. One area often overlooked is oral health. Hormonal shifts during pregnancy can increase your risk of cavities, gum disease, and pregnancy gingivitis. Proper dental care isn’t just about keeping your smile bright—it also protects your overall health and your baby’s development.

This guide covers the essential dos and don’ts of dental care during pregnancy to help you maintain a healthy smile with confidence.

Why Dental Care Matters in Pregnancy

• Hormonal changes can make gums more sensitive
• Increased risk of pregnancy gingivitis
• Higher chance of tooth decay and cavities
• Oral infections may impact overall health and pregnancy outcomes

Safe Dental Visits During Pregnancy

• Routine cleanings and exams are not only safe but highly recommended.
• The best time for most procedures is the second trimester.
• Always inform your dentist about your pregnancy so they can adjust treatment as needed.
• Urgent treatments such as fillings, root canals, or extractions can often be performed safely.

Daily Oral Hygiene Tips for Expectant Moms

Brushing and Flossing

• Brush at least twice daily with fluoride toothpaste
• Floss once a day to prevent plaque buildup
• Use a soft-bristled toothbrush to reduce gum irritation

Handling Morning Sickness

1. Rinse your mouth with water or fluoride mouthwash immediately
2. Wait 30 minutes before brushing to avoid enamel erosion

Nutrition and Oral Health in Pregnancy

• Choose a balanced diet rich in calcium, vitamin D, and phosphorus
• Limit sugary foods and drinks to prevent cavities
• Opt for nutrient-dense snacks such as yogurt, cheese, nuts, and fresh fruits

Habits to Avoid for a Healthy Smile

• No tobacco use – increases risk of gum disease and complications
• Avoid alcohol – harmful to both oral and fetal health
• Limit sugary snacks and sodas – major contributors to tooth decay

Watch for Signs of Pregnancy Gingivitis

• Red, swollen gums
• Bleeding while brushing or flossing
• Persistent bad breath

👉 If you notice these symptoms, schedule a professional cleaning promptly to prevent progression to gum disease.

Final Thoughts

Pregnancy is the perfect time to prioritize your dental health. By following these steps, you can protect your smile and your baby’s well-being:

• Maintain daily brushing and flossing
• Schedule regular dental check-ups
• Eat a balanced, nutrient-rich diet
• Avoid harmful habits like tobacco and alcohol

If you have concerns, consult your dentist for personalized guidance. A healthy smile today means a healthier tomorrow for both you and your baby.

The post Smile Bright: Essential Dental Care Tips During Pregnancy appeared first on Sherwood Dental.

Take a deep breath. Did you notice how that felt, or more importantly where your breath came from? As humans, we are designed to do most of our breathing through our noses. But depending on certain conditions, nasal issues, and/or even mask-wearing, mouth breathing is becoming more prevalent.

Breathing out of your mouth may not seem like a problem, but mouth breathing can create some concerns for your dentist in terms of your oral and overall health.

Why Nose Breathing is Best

Breathing through your nose produces nitric oxide, which helps improve your lungs’ ability to absorb oxygen.

Nitric oxide can have many positive effects on your body which include:

• Increasing the ability to transport oxygen.
• Relaxing vascular smooth muscles and allows blood vessels to dilate.

Other benefits of nasal breathing are:

• Blocking out small particles such as dust, pollen and pollution
• Adding moisture to the air you breathe and helps to prevent the lungs and bronchial tubes from drying out.

Why Mouth Breathing Can Be a Problem

If you or your child is mouth-breathing often, it can be tricky to break, as most of the time it is formed out of habit. Although it can be caused by: persistent allergies, chronic nasal obstructions, overlarge tonsils, or a deviated septum.

Mouth breathing can quickly dry out the mouth and lead to decreased saliva production. Saliva is extremely important for neutralizing acid and helping to wash away bacteria. Without it, the chance of tooth decay and cavities increases. A dry mouth can also lead to bad breath and other serious concerns, such as gum disease.

Working with your dentist can help you find some solutions to control your mouth-breathing, and potentially prevent any harmful side effects. They may suggest you try out a rinse to help ease your dry mouth, increase your dental hygiene frequencies, or even recommend mouth-tape that can be used to stop mouth-breathing while you sleep.

Call us to book a dental exam so we can help identify the cause, and ensure your teeth and gums are healthy.

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Everyone's mouth feels dry from time to time but when this feeling doesn't go away you may have a problem such as Dry Mouth. Dry Mouth is when you do not have enough saliva to keep your mouth wet and moisturized. Although you may not be experiencing a completely dry oral cavity, even low production of saliva can be a cause for concern.

Most of the time dentists can spot someone struggling with this, often before they even realize they’re experiencing it. This is important to get checked because, when left untreated, dry mouth can wreck the oral microbiome which may lead to cavities, bad breath, and other oral issues.

What Can Cause Dry Mouth?

Dry mouth can be caused by a variety of factors. Some that are preventable or lifestyle choices, and others that are less preventable. Determining the cause can help you understand what treatment options may be available.

Some causes of dry mouth include:

• Mouth breathing
• Smoking or chewing tobacco
• Vaping
• Ageing
• Stress
• Dehydration
• Prescription medication
• Radiation and chemotherapy

How to Help Dry Mouth

The only permanent way to cure dry mouth is to treat its cause or make a lifestyle change.

You may be able to make some small changes to help; such as avoiding certain foods or sugary beverages that can dry out the mouth. Or using a product such as Biotene, which can act as artificial saliva, providing some relief.

If your dry mouth is the result of medication, it is best to speak with your doctor about possibly adjusting your dosage.

Undiagnosed dry mouth can have some serious consequence on your overall oral health. Drying irritates the soft tissues in the mouth, which can make them inflamed and more susceptible to infection. Without the cleansing effects of saliva, tooth decay and other oral health issues become much more common.

If you are suffering from dry mouth we will sometimes recommend a fluoride or xylitol rinse and increase the frequency of your hygiene visits to stay ahead of any potential cavities that may start to form. It is important that you take good care of your teeth and gums. Give our office a call and speak to your dentist or hygienist if you’ve been having difficulties with dry mouth.

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If your gums bleed when you floss or brush your teeth you may think this is normal and ignore it, but bleeding gums can be a sign of underlying problems. Bleeding gums is often caused by harmful plaque, and the millions of bacteria in it, found at or around the gum line. Left too long this plaque can lead to gingivitis, a mild form of gum disease.

Besides gingivitis you can also have bleeding gums from:

• Smoking and/or vaping
• Hormonal changes, such as pregnancy
• Medication you are taking
• Vitamin K deficiency

There are things you can do to help maintain healthy gums and reduce bleeding or the chance of developing gingivitis.

Since bleeding gums are mainly due to inadequate plaque removal, starting an effective oral hygiene regimen is a great way to help prevent bleeding gums. Brushing twice a day in a circular motion along the gum line will help stimulate and strengthen your gum tissue. As well, flossing once a day will help get rid of any plaque or food that is trapped between your teeth and under the gums.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, quitting smoking or vaping, and eating a diet low in sugar and simple carbohydrates will also improve the health of your gums.

If your gums continue to bleed when flossing and brushing, after you've tried to improve your oral hygiene, please call Sherwood Dental and let one of our dentists evaluate your flossing technique and whether or not there is a need for gum treatment.

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The thought of getting a cavity filled can cause dental anxiety for patients of any age. There is now a new alternative -Silver Diamine Fluoride. A liquid painted onto cavities to help slow decay.

Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) is a non-invasive, needle-free treatment that uses antimicrobial silver ions to help arrest tooth decay, and fluoride ions to prevent further demineralization. The procedure is two quick 15 minute appointments, one to two weeks apart. It is often recommended by your dentist or hygienist when they see a breakdown of enamel beginning to occur.

SDF can also be used to relieve sensitivity. It also is a great alternative for patients who need to delay dental treatment. This could occur because they are too young to receive dental treatment (under age 3). It could also occur because they are holding off on proceeding with treatment due to costs or insurance.

It can also help in situations where decay is deep and untreatable. In certain situations decay can start in an area on a tooth where a dentist cannot remove decay and place a filling. In this case the tooth would normally be pulled as we cannot fill or crown the tooth. By placing SDF this now helps us arrest the decay in the area so that the tooth can stay in the mouth for as long as possible.

SDF can be a cost effective way to help treat cavities and keep your mouth healthy. It is important to note that SDF cannot save every tooth and that teeth may require dental work in the future even if SDF is applied. It also causes some darkening in the treated tooth. This can easily be covered with a filling to help with cosmetics.

The New York Times has even written an article all about the research they have found with SDF in the United States and the success they are having with it.

Give us a call if you have any questions or talk to your dentist or hygienist at your next exam to see if this can work for you.

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Many of us are lucky to have dental insurance to help cover the costs of our regular dental visits, but when unexpected charges come up it can be difficult trying to figure out the reason why.

We try to get as much information as we can to help. But there are hundreds of different insurance policies and although some may give us very limited information; others give us none due to privacy acts they have in place.

Most insurance policies will allow you to come in for regular exams and cleanings, as well as some restorative work (if needed). But each plan covers the charges at different percentages as well as at different rates.

Even if your plan tells you they cover 100% that is almost never; they choose to cover 100% of their fee guide.

Another layer insurance policies add on to coverage is a yearly maximum. Again each plan has a different maximum and this is nearly impossible for your dental office to tell. Your insurance will never cover more than the maximum.

You can keep track of your yearly maximum by:
• Calling your insurance company and finding out how much your max. is, and how much is remaining.
• Logging onto your company’s website/app and checking on there.
• Adding up the visits they have paid for and subtracting from your annual max.

We have a quick form here that you can complete to help keep track of what your insurance may cover.

Remember “you’re due” doesn’t always mean “you’re covered”; and at the end of the day your insurance plan is a contract between you and your employer, not your dentist.

The post How to Decode Dental Insurance appeared first on Sherwood Dental.

What’s the Scoop with Sensitive Teeth?

As the weather begins to warm up we often find ourselves reaching for frozen treats to cool us down. But if you feel a jolt of pain in your teeth every time you take a bite of that ice cream or even a sip of your morning coffee, you are not alone. Sensitive teeth affects more than half of adults between the ages of twenty and fifty, and can be present in children as well.

What Causes Tooth Sensitivity?

The most common reason for sensitivity is when the enamel starts to wear away exposing little tubules in the dentin of your tooth. These tubules are a direct roadway to your tooth’s nerves, and when they come in contact with something cold or hot, sometimes even sweet or sour, you will experience a nasty shock of pain.

Although the enamel on the crown of your tooth is quite hard, it can be very thin and worn down in a number of ways. Grinding your teeth, acid erosion and even improper brushing can affect your enamel.

Exposed roots is another major cause of sensitive teeth. The roots can become vulnerable with gum recession, chips in the crown of the tooth, cavities or fractures.

Protecting Your Teeth From Sensitivity

There are several ways you can help fight against sensitive teeth. First, switch to a soft-bristled brush, if you haven’t already. Hard bristles can damage your tooth enamel and gum tissues. You can also try a toothpaste specifically dedicated to sensitive teeth. Ask your hygienist at your next cleaning as we always have samples you can take home. When possible try to avoid sugary or acidic foods and drinks. Cheese can also help stop an acid attack on your teeth after a meal!

How Your Dentist Can Help

Be sure to give our office a call if you start experiencing tooth sensitivity, even if your recall exam isn’t scheduled for a while. Our office can often accommodate last minute appointments within a day or two. We can strengthen your teeth with a fluoride treatment, apply a desensitizing varnish, perform restorative work on areas with enamel loss, or even recommend a gum graft to cover exposed nerves. We also like to recommend a daily or weekly fluoride rinse for sensitivity as well. We offer a product here by Oral Science at the clinic.  It’s important to have your dentist take a look so we can make sure there aren’t any other problems with your teeth!

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