Prenatal Oral Health: Building Strong Teeth for Your Baby in Lansing, Michigan
Your baby’s teeth will not be visible at birth. But believe it or not, they already exist beneath the gums. Children’s primary teeth begin forming at about the sixth week of pregnancy, and start mineralizing — building the bonelike inner tooth layer (called dentin) and the super-hard enamel layer that covers it — around the third or fourth month of pregnancy. If you are expecting, your dentist in Lansing, Michigan, at Schaefer Dental Group wants you to know it’s not too early to start thinking about how to make sure your child’s teeth are as healthy as possible!
Like everything else having to do with your baby’s physical development before birth, much depends on how well you take care of yourself. Developing teeth need certain nutrients to grow properly; if you don’t get them through your diet, your baby won’t receive them either. Likewise, you’ll have to watch your intake of substances that could harm your baby’s developing teeth in utero, such as certain antibiotics. Here’s a brief summary of what to seek and what to avoid.
Eat Right for Fetal Tooth Development
Certain nutrients are particularly important for prenatal tooth development:
- Calcium: This mineral is the main component of teeth. If there is not enough calcium coming from your diet to support fetal development, your body will actually take this mineral from your bones (but not your teeth) and use it to meet your developing baby’s needs. The best sources of dietary calcium are dairy foods such as milk, cheese, and yogurt. It can also be found in broccoli and kale.
- Phosphorous: This mineral also accounts for the hardness of teeth. It is found in many foods — especially high protein sources such as meat and milk, but also cereals. Of all the nutrients your baby’s teeth need, this is the easiest to get.
- Vitamin D: This vitamin helps the body absorb and retain calcium and phosphorous. Very few foods contain it naturally — oily fish like salmon and tuna are exceptions; that’s why it is added to milk and some other beverages and foods. It is also produced in the body naturally when skin is directly exposed to sunlight. You may be advised to take a supplement if sun exposure is limited.
- Protein: This is responsible for building, maintaining, and replacing the body’s tissues. The action of a single protein causes calcium-phosphate crystals to form tooth enamel. All proteins are made of amino acids, but some cannot be manufactured by the body and must come from foods. Meats and dairy products are the most protein-rich.
Seek Guidance on Dietary Supplementation & Medications
If you feel your diet is inadequate in some nutrients during your pregnancy, it’s best to seek professional medical advice on what supplements you may need. While it’s unlikely you will ever receive too much of any given nutrient from your diet, you can overdo certain vitamins and minerals in pill form (vitamin D and calcium, for example).
When you know you’re pregnant (or if you may be pregnant), please share the news with all of your healthcare professionals who see you. That way, medications that should not be prescribed will be avoided at this time. For example, if you need antibiotics to combat an infection, some are much safer for developing babies than others. Tetracycline, for example, can permanently stain teeth in utero. Fluoride supplementation at this time is not recommended either, as there are too many unanswered questions about its use during pregnancy. Your dentist in Lansing, Michigan, and your medical provider can work together to ensure your health and the development of your baby’s teeth are prioritized.