Some Facts About Teeth Whitening During Pregnancy

Most people like to look and feel good and will use special treatments to help. One of the most popular treatments of this kind is teeth whitening. People whiten their teeth for a number of different reasons – some to get rid of stains from coffee and cigarettes and others who don’t have those problems do it just to make their pearly whites, white. What if you are pregnant though? There are many treatments that either don’t work or are far too risky during pregnancy. In this article we will discuss the facts and look at alternative ways to keep your smile sparkling white.

What Are The Risks?

At the moment there is no evidence that supports any claims that teeth whitening or bleaching is unsafe during pregnancy. Also, there has never been official research or studies carried out to prove or disprove that whitening treatments cause complications and problems during pregnancy. Therefore, it is not known whether whitening teeth during pregnancy actually increases the risk of birth defects, miscarriage; lower than average birth weight or preterm labour. This information pertains to both at home treatments and professional teeth whitening.

What Is Recommended?

The recommendation by The American Pregnancy Association is that pregnant women should postpone whitening their teeth until after pregnancy. Although there are no evidence or tests that show it is dangerous or has risky side effects for pregnant women, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any. Is having bleached white teeth during pregnancy really worth the risk if it could have adverse effects on you and your unborn baby? Further to this recommendation, many experts also have stated that it would be wise for mothers to postpone teeth whitening until after they have finished breastfeeding. Again, there is no evidence to suggest it is damaging, but the peroxide used in most teeth whiteners could enter into a mother’s bloodstream and then into her milk.

What Are The Alternatives?

There are many alternatives that you can try that do not require bleaching your teeth. One such method involves pressing chopped strawberries against your teeth, while another promoted by WebMD suggests using a toothbrush with baking soda, in addition to eating saliva-producing foods. Foods that help the production include pears, celery, carrots and apples. On the flip there are certain foods and drinks that you should stop eating and drinking, such as coffee and fizzy drinks. However, this shouldn’t be too difficult as a diet that includes high levels of caffeine while you are pregnant is considered risky.