Our goal here at YourFilthyMouth.com is to connect dots between your oral health and your overall health. Remember, the mouth is the biggest polluter of the bloodstream.

Let’s tackle a subject you might not have heard much about: Mouth care during pregnancy.

You kind of have to feel for women. There’s all these hormone changes they have to go through during pregnancy, and with that comes a thing called Pregnancy Gingivitis. Now, it’s not a given that a pregnant woman will get it. However, many will have to face it and that means that they have an open door for bacteria in their mouth to get into their bloodstream.

We already have evidence of how much that bacteria can affect the baby. I’ve read a couple of studies on it myself, including one where a mother had Pregnancy Gingivitis and the baby was born prematurely. They actually were able to determine that the bacteria in the amniotic fluid was all oral bacteria. That baby made it through, but there are other instances where unfortunately, some weren’t quite as lucky.

There’s no barrier between the bacteria in your bloodstream and your baby’s bloodstream, and that’s what makes oral care during pregnancy so incredibly important! We talk more about how to care for your teeth during pregnancy and answer a listener’s question about newborn mouth care in Episode 21 of the “Your Filthy Mouth” podcast.

Until next week…

Charles “Dr. Chuck” Reinertsen, DMD, has been practicing dentistry in Central Florida since 1979 and is author of the book, “The Power of a Really Great Smile.” His passion is spreading the word about how the health of your mouth is intrinsically linked to the rest of your body. Learn more at www.yourfilthymouth.com.