I was getting my haircut today and chatting with the stylist who told me she was pregnant and her gums were bleeding every time she touched them. She saw her general dentist for a cleaning who told her she should come in more regularly and left it at that but the bleeding continued. As a periodontist I found that advice odd, bleeding gums are not normal. They are a sign of an infection and can lead to low birth weight babies born premature. As a matter of fact she had the same condition with her first child who was born a month early.

I want to get the word out to pregnant women that bleeding is NOT normal and some very simple treatments can eliminate the problem. Of course good daily hygiene of tooth brushing and flossing is essential, but if that is not eliminating the bleeding than professional care is in order. Many dentists may not be familiar with the therapy that will work for pregnant patients so seeing a specialist in treating periodontal disease makes sense. The right combination of scaling or deeper cleaning, laser pocket disinfection combined with antibacterial mouth rinse and improved hygiene usually does the trick.

So Moms-to-be don’t ignore the bleeding gums. I hope my stylist makes that appointment to see me so I can help her as healthy as she keeps me looking good. For more information check out my website.