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A
woman's dental health needs are affected by her different stages in life.
Often these changes are directly linked to changes in sex hormone levels.
There are some dental conditions that the incidence of diagnosis is higher in
women than men.
As a woman it is essential you adhere to good daily oral
hygiene habits especially during some very stressful periods of life such as
pregnancy, child rearing and/or
trying to deal with management of a home and career. Be sure to brush at
least twice a day and floss at once a day. Some
stages of life you are encouraged to see us
more frequently, especially through your hormonal surges.
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Puberty during this stage hormones may
cause you to have swollen
gums, especially during your periods because estrogen causes increased
blood circulation to the gums. Herpes-type lesions and ulcers can
occur and gums sensitivity may be more present
and is know as Menstruation Gingivitis. This condition typically
occurs right before a period and clears up once the period has started.
Dentists may suggest scaling, root
planing, antimicrobial mouth rinses and oral
hygiene instructions to treat gum disease that occurs during menstruation These changes can especially effect you if you are wearing braces
or your wisdom teeth are "coming
in". This is a time to see your dentist at least every 6 months
to help you adjust and remain comfortable during these changes and develop
and maintain good oral health habits.
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Birth Control
simulate pregnancy
because they contain progesterone or estrogen which can lead to gingivitis
with long term use. Use of certain antibiotics that are used to help
control periodontal disease, while taking birth control, can decrease birth
control effectiveness. Be aware that if you are taking birth control
your chances of developing a dry socket after
an extraction is twice as high than if you
were not taking them. Women who are taking oral contraceptives should advise
their dentists where they are in the pill cycle so that it can be determined
if needed extractions can be performed between the 23rd and 28th day of that
cycle. Oral contraceptives taken during the last week do not contain
estrogen, which may create painful dry sockets after extraction
***MORE>>>>>Birth
Control and Oral Health |
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Pregnant women have a risk for
increased swelling of their gums and if plaque is not removed on a daily
basis gingivitis will
develop. In this condition your gums will be red, swollen, tender and
likely to bleed when you brush them. This is known as Pregnancy Gingivitis
and begins in the second or third month of pregnancy and increases in
severity throughout the eighth month. If you let your dental health deteriorate
to the level of periodontal disease
you will increase your risk by seven times of having a baby that is born to
early and is too small! If you are planning to become pregnant be sure
to have a comprehensive exam as part of
your prenatal care. There is also the risk of developing pregnancy
tumors. These are non-cancerous growths that develop when swollen gums
become irritated and inflamed. Usually these tumors shrink after the
pregnancy is over. If they remain after pregnancy they may have to be
removed by a periodontist.
If you experience morning sickness, it is important to neutralize the acid
caused by vomiting because this acid can erode your teeth and make them more
vulnerable to tooth decay. Make a paste
of baking soda and water and rub it on your teeth. After 30 seconds,
rinse off the paste, then brush
and floss. If you can
not tolerate this procedure at least rinse your mouth with water.
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| Age, a study done in January 1999 in
the Journal of Periodontology reported that at least 23 percent of women
ages 30-54 have periodontitis and 44
percent of women ages 55-90 who still have their teeth have periodontitis.
Periodontal disease is know as a "silent" disease because you
often do not even know you have until it is in its advance stages.
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| Menopause is a
time where you can
experience dry mouth, burning sensation and
changes in taste perception (salty, peppery or sour). Your gums can even become sore and sensitive.
You may even experience Menopausal Gingivostomatitis. Here gums look
dry or shiny, bleed easily and can be abnormally pate to deep red.
Estrogen therapy helps relieve these symptoms. However, some
women taking hormone replacement therapy experience bleeding, swollen and
red gums. Bone loss is associated with both periodontal disease and
osteoporosis. Hormone Replacement Therapy help prevent osteoporosis
and may possibly help women to protect their from losing their teeth.
Journal of Periodontology Jan/Feb 00 stated estrogen supplements may offer
periodontal benefits. Nonsmoking women who were estrogen-deficient
bleed more and had a loss of clinical attachment level of 2 mm |
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Other conditions such as use of diet
pills and some over the counter medications and prescriptions can decrease
salivary flow which puts you at risk for cavities, gum disease and
discomfort. If you have an eating disorder such as bulimia,
self-induced vomiting you will have erosion of the tooth enamel on the upper
front teeth and possible sores at the corners of your mouth. Smoking
greatly increases your risk towards periodontal
disease and oral cancer.
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| Women
and Pain Women suffer significantly more from
migraines, tension type headaches,
facial pains, fibromayalgia and TMD. Women consistently
demonstrate a lowered pain threshold often affected by the
stage of the menstrual cycle and by exogenous hormones such
as oral contraceptive. Hormone replacement therapy and
use of oral contraceptives have been associated with
increased risk of TMD. |
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Fibromyalgia- 25% of
fibromyalgia sufferers have problems with atypical facial
and TMJ pain. Chronic fatigue, sleep disorder, IBS,
pain, anxiety, TMD are all part of the Fibromyalgia
Syndrome. Fibromyalgia is a syndrome...not a single
entity .It should be diagnosed by the presence of certain
painful pressure points. IDF 10.04
Management
of Chronic Pain; Compendium Vol 24, No 12 Dec 2003 pg
909-928 |
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What can you do about
your dental health during these stages?
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See a dentist
every six months and check your gum tissue status
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Keep your dental professionals informed about
ANY medications you are taking whether over the counter or prescriptions and
any changes in your health
history
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| Brush
twice a day for at least two minutes and floss
every day. If flossing is painful try using a Waterpik. It uses a jet
stream of water to clean between the teeth. We
recommend using an electric
toothbrush because they may reach plaque and debris
below the gum line where ordinary toothbrushes can not
reach. |
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Up
Date one Women's Dental Needs
The Centers for Disease Control report that nearly 25 million
women are infected with some form of the Human Papilloma Virus
(HPV). Of those, more than three million are thought to
have one of the four strains known to cause cases of cervical
cancer and genital warts.
HPV is linked to oropharyngeal cancer and may be linked to
oral cancers as well, and vaccines that have been developed
to treat HPV might decrease the risk of these cancers. It has
been found that oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OOSCC)
have been linked to high-risk HPV strains, the same strains that
cause cervical cancer.Recently, a vaccine was developed to
treat patients with HPV against cervical cancer, and this could
have an effect on women’s oral health.
More than 100 strains of HPV have been identified, they have
been shown to cause other benign and malignant disorders, which
now include those in the mouth. Nearly 30,000 new cases of
oral and oropharyngeal cancer are reported each year. It’s
possible that oral and oropharyngeal cancers could be reduced if
vaccination were more widespread; however, additional research
is needed.
Additional research could result in a comprehensive test for
dentists at patients’ semiannual visits. However, a dentist
can perform a head and neck exam to detect early signs,
despite the lack of a specific test. A possible connection
between HPV and oral cancers, and the stronger link to
oropharyngeal cancers, is even more of an indicator that
patients should visit the dentist twice a year to identify
irregularities early.
Visiting the dentist on a regular basis is an important
factor in the detection of any oral health complication.
Taking preventive measures is especially important, and your
dentist can check for early signs of oral cancer.
Oral Health Tips for Women:
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Keep your dentist informed about changes in
oral health. |
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Visit the dentist regularly, which will help
them to detect changes in the mouth. |
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Ask your dentist to take a full medical
history to determine if you are at risk for certain
problems. |
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Ask your dentist to perform a complete a head
and neck exam to detect early signs of certain conditions |
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Frequently Asked Questions about Oral Health New Women's Oral Health Issues
by American Dental Association:
Women's Dental Health Issues 2007 Read
only PDF file on
Women's Oral Health Issues:
http://www.ada.org/prof/resources/topics/healthcare.asp You can have a beautiful smile
through Invisalign
Women taking daily
amounts of non-aspirin painkillers — such as an extra-strength
Tylenol — are more likely to develop high blood pressure than
those who don’t, a new study suggests.
While many popular over-the-counter painkillers
have been linked before to high blood pressure, acetaminophen,
sold as Tylenol, has generally been considered relatively free
of such risk.
Use doubles risk of hypertension
The study found that women ages 51-77 who took an average
daily dose of more than 500 milligrams of acetaminophen — one
extra-strength Tylenol — had about double the risk of
developing high blood pressure within about three years.
Women in that age range who take more than 400 mg a day of
NSAIDS — equal to say two ibuprofen — had a 78percent increased
risk of developing high blood pressure over those
who didn’t take the drug.
Among women 34-53 who take an average of more than 500 mg of
acetaminophen a day had a two-fold higher risk of developing
high blood pressure. And those who took more than 400 mg of
NSAIDS a day
had a 60 percent risk increase over those who didn’t take the
pills.
“We are by no means suggesting that women with chronic pain
conditions not receive treatment for their pain,” lead author
Dr. John Phillip Forman, of Harvard Medical School and associate
physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, “By
pointing out risks associated with these drugs, more informed
choices can be made by women and their clinicians.”
As for why aspirin didn’t raise risk, it might be because
“aspirinhas a different effect on blood vessels than NSAIDS and
acetaminophenhave,” said Dr. Daniel Jones, dean of the school of
medicine atUniversity of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
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Oral Contraceptives and
Periodontal Disease: Rethinking the Association Based Upon
Analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
Data
Background: Historic evidence suggests that use of high-dose
combined oral contraceptives (OCs) (containing >50 µg of
estrogen and 1 mg progestin) places women at increased risk for
periodontal diseases. Since the mid-1970s, OC formulations have
dramatically changed. This study investigated the association
between OC use and periodontal diseases among 4,930 National
Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) I and 5,001
NHANES III premenopausal U.S. women, aged 17 to
50 years, before and after the reduction of hormone levels in
OCs.
The prevalence of OC use in the U.S. premenopausal female
population in NHANES I was 22% and in NHANES III, 20%. Using
multivariable logistic regression, a protective association
between
current OC use and gingivitis was suggestive
This analysis failed to validate the theory that earlier
high- or current low-dose OC use is associated with increased
levels of gingivitis or periodontitis and suggests an important
reexamination of the perceived association between OC use and
periodontal diseases. J Periodontol
2005;76:1374-1385.- Journal of Periodontology 2005, Vol. 76,
No. 8, Pages 1374-1385 Dr. L. Susan Taichman Stephen A.
Eklund
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Study finds some women lose
sensitivity to sweet tastes after menopause.
After menopause, some women
may increase their use of sweeteners due to a decreased
sensitivity to sweet tastes, with potentially serious
complications for obesity and diabetes. Researchers found that
the hormonal changes women experience during menopause seem to
reduce the ability to taste sucrose for some. Comparing 20
postmenopausal women with 20 men of similar age, noted a
significantly lower sensitivity to sucrose on the palates of the
women. However, sensitivity to salt, sourness and bitterness
was virtually the same for both groups and there were no
changes in taste sensations on the tongue. The researchers said
this decline in sensitivity to sweetness was often
accompanied by dietary choices skewed toward sweeter foods
reported by the women subjects. While only 35 percent of the
women said they had noticed a change in taste perception, 45
percent reported an increased preference for sweeter fare. The
researchers noted that a preference for sweeter foods could have
potentially serious consequences for diseases such as obesity,
heart disease and diabetes.
British Dental Journal
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Oral contraceptive may
increase pain after wisdom tooth extraction
That
tests on 267 women showed that those on the birth control pill
were more susceptible than non-users to both postoperative
pain and a condition known as 'dry
socket.' In this condition, normal healing of the
vacant tooth socket is delayed by the failure of a blood clot
to form. Infection instead causes the socket to remain empty.
In the study, pain on the day after the operation was
experienced by 30 percent of pill takers compared to just 11
percent of non-users. Five days after the operation the
difference was 14 percent compared to 5 percent. The
researchers said these results suggest that the pill may
reduce the pain threshold. The differential was similar
when the development of dry socket was compared. Here, 11
percent of pill users were affected compared to 4 percent of
non-pill users.
SOURCE: British Dental Journal 2003;194:453-455
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Government's first annual report on Women's
Health USA 2002
Women Health USA 2002 reports trends that
show a disproportionate impact on women of certain
health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, lupus
and osteoporosis. Women are living longer than men
and are more likely to have health insurance. Information on
dental care in this report indicates that 62.7
percent of women visited a dentist in the last
year but that approximately one-third of American women
had not visited a dentist for a year or more. Hispanic
and black women were more likely than white women
to have gone without dental care
for a year or more. Less than 1 percent of
women had never seen or talked to a
dentist. To view the site: www.mchb.hrsa.gov/data/women.htm
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Some
researchers have found that:
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pregnant women with
periodontitis were 7.5 times more likely to have a preterm
low-birth-weight infant. |
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risk of preterm birth was
directly related to the severity of periodontitis. |
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periodontitis is linked to
CVD and estrogen exerts a protective effect against CVD
development |
JADA The Journal of the American Dental
Association -March 2002
Courtesy of American
Academy of Periodontology and Academy of General
Dentistry
Visit A.G.D.
Running out of toothpaste!
February 06, 2008
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Pregnancy
Eating Disorders Gum
Disease Older Women Smoking Women's Health Index |
FAMILY GENTLE DENTAL CARE