Does pregnancy ruin your teeth?

All right, I’ll admit it. I don’t have the best teeth in the entire world. It’s a family thing. None of my family has good teeth. To be honest, though, I’m pretty sure I’ve got the best out of the bunch. I’ve never had to have a root canal, after all.

A dental hygienist once told me that everyone has either an acidic or a base mouth and that people with one get a lot of cavities and people with the other tend to get gingivitis. I fall into the cavity category. No matter how well I take care of my teeth, I still get cavities. It’s frustrating!

I’ll also admit that I don’t floss like I should. I probably floss about once a week. I do, however, use a pre-mouth wash (for plaque – to see where it is) and Listerine Whitening mouth wash before I brush. After brushing for three solid minutes (I have a timer), I use Listerine Cavity Defense mouth wash. I do what I can, basically, to prevent cavities. Since I’m pregnant, I’ve given up all caffeine, so I know that helps a little too. I also brush on a minimum of twice a day.

So, why is it that since I found out I was pregnant, I’ve started having teeth pain? I’ve never had teeth pain in my life! It’s not a consistent pain by any means. It’s not sensitive to heat or cold. It’s only sensitive to irritation (like if I poke on it to see if it’s a cavity or if I brush it). I know that it’s the teeth since my dentist only recently told me that I have incredibly healthy gums.

Tonight, I gave my mouth a close look and, sure enough, #14 and #19 appear to have cavities on the exterior side. #20 has a funky vein-looking thing on it, maybe an 1/8 of an inch or so long, also on the exterior side. The space between #2 and #3 is sensitive on the inside but does not appear to have any cavities.

These cavities were NOT there two months ago. And I don’t want them to be there now, either. What gives?

The question – does pregnancy ruin your teeth? Is there anyway to prevent tooth decay while pregnant? Did your teeth act up during [any of] your pregnancy?