Preventing tooth decay in pregnancy

Preventing tooth decay in pregnancy. What I’m focusing on and doing this pregnancy to help prevent tooth de-mineralization and decay.

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I had a little panic attack the other day.

I suddenly noticed that there was a little chip in my tooth.

It’s in a spot where I can’t see it, I can only feel it with my tongue.

I freaked out. Total ptsd from my last pregnancy.

With Vivian’s pregnancy I had so many issues with my teeth.

Including even having such a bad abscess that the tooth had to be pulled. Then an implant put in. Then I had a horrible reaction to the titanium implant. So it had to be ripped out and a zirconia implant put in. It was an over-2-year-process. That was no fun at all.

I had my first three kids so close together that it was just pulling so many minerals from my body and teeth. It was like my body just couldn’t keep up with replenishing. And instead of taking minerals from the baby, it started sucking it from my teeth and bones.

Anyway, on with my current story.

I freaked out slightly about the hole I felt in my tooth. Spiraling down all the rabbit holes thinking I’d have to have yet another tooth pulled due to an abscess.

But the tooth didn’t hurt at all so it gave me a little hope that it would be just fine.

I called around to see which dentist I could get into. We hadn’t established care yet anywhere after moving across the country. Thankfully I was able to get in somewhere the very next day!

They looked at my tooth and told me not to worry. It was just an old filling that was weak and had partially chipped out. Nothing to be concerned over.

Thank God!!

So I scheduled an appointment to have it re-filled and stopped worrying.

They also said that all my teeth were looking amazing and they couldn’t see any de-mineralization or damage to enamel anywhere. Or any issues with the gums, which they were surprised about since apparently that’s a common issue in pregnancy.

It was such a relief to hear that everything was looking great!

Preventing tooth decay in pregnancy

There are a few things I’ve been focusing on this time around to help make sure that my teeth aren’t damaged.

Firstly, it helped a ton that I had a longer break in between pregnancies. Vivian is a little over 3 years old. I did have a lot of thyroid issues (thyroid storm and surgery) between Vivian and this one. So my body definitely needed the time! I also had a late first trimester miscarriage in between as well.

But other than the longer break, here is what I’ve been doing:

Mineral supplements

I knew that I needed to be adding in additional minerals besides just what I could get from my diet or prenatal vitamins.

I had already been taking BioFulvic (humic / fulvic minerals) for quite awhile. And as soon as I found out I was pregnant, I increased my dose just a bit. You can use code WILSONHOMESTEAD to save on this. I took this for over half of my pregnancy. I even noticed it helping relieve morning sickness.

Then I was also sent some shilajit to try from Black Lotus Shilajit (code WILSONHOMESTEAD) and I have switched to that for a bit. I probably wouldn’t take both things at the same time so you don’t overload minerals.

But I like having two options and I alternate them now. When I run out of a little case of shilajit tablets, I use BioFulvic for a couple weeks, then I switch back.

Diet

I make sure to try and avoid any cavity-causing foods as well. Refined processed sugar and a lot of grains (especially if not prepared properly) can be big issues. Making sure to fill my diet with lots of healthy meats, bone broth, fermented dairy and vegetables, raw dairy, and a little bit of fresh organic fruits.

This can be really hard during pregnancy. Especially when you’re feeling nauseated and nothing sounds good but oatmeal, or whatever your craving is. I slip up on this often. But I just try to do my best. Not having any of the bad foods you’re trying to avoid in the house at all helps a ton. It’s not just sitting there as a temptation when you have an irresistible craving!

Your gut health is mainly determined by your diet, and your dental health is mainly determined by your gut heath. It all ties in together. So building up your gut is hugely important.

I find that thinking of what really good nourishing foods you can add in make this an easier process. Instead of focusing on what you have to give up, or stop eating. Just try to get like a quart of raw milk in, 2 or more pasture raised eggs, a serving or two of lamb or beef daily, a cup or two of bone broth, maybe a bowl of nourishing soup, a serving of lacto fermented vegetables, a bowl of homemade raw milk yogurt. If you are working on adding in all those important nutrients daily, you naturally just won’t have as much room for junk foods. And hopefully, especially as you get accustomed to it, your body will stop craving the junk and crave the nutrition.

Check out this post on the Weston A Price website about the diet for pregnant and nursing mothers.

Regular flossing and brushing

Yes, I know this is a bit of an obvious one.

But choosing a high quality healthy fluoride-free toothpaste is important.

I’ve gone with Risewell hydroxyapatite toothpaste and bamboo toothbrushes. I’ve loved them!

They have a line for sensitive teeth as well if you’re needing that.

I make sure I thoroughly floss daily, especially any areas that may be problem areas for catching food. And then brush for a good long time.

Use code to save WILSON10 to save on this toothpaste.

Oil pulling

Oil pulling has so many surprising benefits.

I actually started doing it at the recommendation of my friend Emily for helping my hands not cramp up during milking.

Weird right?!

But it works!

I actually noticed a big difference with cramps doing oil pulling.

But regardless of that cool side-benefit to oil pulling, it can have huge positive impacts on your dental health.

• It can pull toxins out of your mouth
• Fewer cavities and cases of gingivitis
• Reduce plaque build up
• Stronger teeth and gums
• Better breath (less “morning breath”)
• Whiten your teeth
• Improve hormone balance
• Better skin (less acne, eczema, and psoriasis)
• Less arthritis pain
• And more!

Re-mineralizing tooth putty

This is one of the dental health items in my kit that I make sure to always have on hand. The results I’ve seen from this have been amazing. If I notice any de-mineralization or anything going on with the enamel on my teeth I put this on before bed every night to help heal it.

If one of the kids complains about a tooth ache (which has only happened once) I use this along with black cumin seed oil on their tooth every single night until the pain has been gone for a couple weeks. And they’ve never developed a cavity, we’ve taken them to all their yearly dental checkups and the dentist is always so impressed with how healthy their teeth look.

Here is some info about their ingredients from the website:

We use natural, non-nano hydroxyapatite. This is double most other products on the market. We are one of the only ones to use natural and non-nano as well, and our HA is sourced from fossilized coral.

We use calcium carbonate as our base. Calcium carbonate is of course, a very rich mineral source. We use a special low-lead cal carb to keep this product as pure as possible. We add Pearl powder and coral as two natural mineral sources. On top of that we add bee propolis which has shown to remineralize! 

We also use ozonated oil, which is one of the predominant treatment protocols used by holistic dentists to heal teeth and turn around tooth decay.

We added theobromine, which is the active ingredient in another remineralizing toothpaste. It has shown in studies to be more effective than fluoride at hardening the teeth and has shown incredible potential for remineralization.

Our unique herb blend contains the herbs that we consider to be the best and most effective in the world to help heal the bones and teeth. We searched and found the best from Western Herbalist, Ayurveda, and Chinese medicine and blended them in an absorbable way. Many of the herbs we use have been traditionally used topically to heal broken bones. We also utilize herbs that are known to heal inflamed gums and fight bacteria! We use herbs that are known to support bone healing, reduce pain and inflammation, and support dental health.

-Bliss Energetics website

Use code WILSONHOMESTEAD to save on this tooth putty.

Cod liver oil

Cod liver oil is packed full of essential vitamins, minerals and fatty acids that are crucial to your teeth and overall health. This is one of the supplements that I take daily no matter what, whether I’m pregnant or not. I hesitate to even call it a supplement because this is actually a whole food.

Cod liver oil nutrients affect both the saliva that can re-mineralize teeth and the living bone tissues under the enamel.

I take Rosita cod liver oil capsules from Perfect Supplements. You can use code WILSONHOMESTEAD for a discount on these.

Adding minerals and electrolytes to my water

One new thing I’ve done this pregnancy as well is adding electrolytes and minerals to my drinking water.

I’ve always struggled to drink adequate water. Especially when I’m pregnant, it just doesn’t sound good.

So this time around I found a way to kill two birds with one stone.

I add electrolytes & minerals and they make my water taste delicious and I’m getting an extra boost of important minerals.

This has been especially important living in East Texas for our first summer. I’ve sweated a lot more than usual and have needed to be taking in more water.

I found these absolutely delicious electrolytes from Urban Farm Collection. My favorite is the strawberry limeade, but next time I order I’m going to try the guava mango.

So I add about a level scoop to a quart of water every morning. I also add a splash of Master Mineral drink to it as well for some extra magnesium (code WILSONHOMESTEAD to save on Mitigate Stress website). Then I shake it all up well and drink it through the morning. I usually end up drinking 2 of these. Plus extra plain water. Plus lots of raw milk. So my liquid intake is doing much better this pregnancies than the others. As well as I’m making sure to replenish minerals and electrolytes throughout the day as I work on things.

I hope hearing about how I’m working on preventing tooth decay in pregnancy was helpful to you as well!

And blessings!

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