Oral Hygiene

Unfortunately, HG and toothbrushing seldom go hand-in-hand. If the taste of your usual toothpaste worsens your nausea, give other brands a go until you find one that works. An SLS-free toothpaste will not foam up, like traditional toothpaste, which can be helpful if you have trouble with the foamy texture. If toothpaste is completely intolerable, remember that brushing without toothpaste is better than not brushing at all. Even the act of running a damp face washer over your teeth can help remove some plaque. You may find that using a child or even toddler-sized toothbrush can help reduce the unpleasantness of brushing.

It may be helpful to limit your brushing to times of the day when nausea is not as severe. If possible, try to ensure that your teeth are cleaned before going to bed at night - your mouth gets dry when you sleep, and without the protective effects of saliva, decay is more likely to set in.

Making certain changes to your lifestyle and habits can mean that your HG pregnancy will not necessarily lead to a deterioration in oral health. It can be helpful to get a dental check-up while you’re pregnant if you can manage it, but if it’s not possible, consider booking in for a check-up once your baby arrives. Early detection of any issues and a professional application of a concentrated fluoride varnish, can be beneficial in restoring dental health or even reversing early dental disease.

And if you have doubts that your dentist may not understand the effects of HG, fear not - dentists are trained to be familiar with the adverse effects of repeated vomiting and periods of dental neglect on teeth. However, if you feel that your dentist is unfamiliar with HG mentioning that you suffered from extremely severe nausea and vomiting during your pregnancy will already raise several dentally relevant red flags in their minds.

Dental erosion poses a real problem if you’re throwing up multiple times a day. The acid from your stomach erodes the enamel in your teeth, resulting in unpleasant sensitivity. If the erosion is severe and progresses past the enamel, the deeper layers of the teeth including the nerves can also be damaged.

One way to limit the effects of repeated vomiting is to rinse your mouth out with water after each time you throw up. This will help to neutralise the acidity and limit the damage to your teeth. If the taste of baking soda can be tolerated, rinsing with a teaspoon of bicarbonate in the water can help to neutralise the acidity in your mouth more effectively.  It is also very important to ensure that you do not brush your teeth for at least 30 minutes after throwing up otherwise the act of brushing can actually wear away the weakened enamel, further exacerbating the effects of dental erosion.