Are Women More Susceptible to Oral Health Problems? The Answer Here!

Women might be more susceptible in most cases to oral health issues because they experience hormonal changes quite a bit. Hormones not only affect the supply of blood to the gum tissue, but also the response of the body to the poisons that are out there.  This can also happen because of plaque buildup. As a result of these changes, women tend to be more prone to the development of gum disease at certain stages of their life, along with a myriad of other oral health issues.

So when are women more at risk for health problems.  Well, during puberty, certain points of their monthly cycle, when they use birth control, during pregnancy, and menopause tend to be the main areas.

Puberty is usually when it starts since estrogen and progesterone occurs during then, which increase the blood flow to the gums, and changes the way the gum tissue reacts to various irritants in your plaque, which cause the gum tissue to become tender, red, swollen, and more likely to experience bleeding during flossing and brushing.

Monthly cycles cause this too. Due to the changes in hormones particularly progesterone, some women experience the changes in their gums, where they become bright and swollen, their salivary glands become swollen, they might have canker sores, and they might experience bleeding gums.  Menstruation gingivitis can happen a day or two before the period starts and clears up shortly after it’s started.

If a woman takes birth control which contains progesterone, that increases the hormones in the body, they might experience inflamed gum tissues since this is an exaggerated reaction to the toxins that come from plaque, so talk to your dentist if you do plan to take an oral contraceptive.

Pregnancy is another time period where the hormones markedly change.  Progesterone surges, and that can cause gum disease during the second month of pregnancy all the way to the eight month. The dentist might recommend getting more cleanings during your second or third trimester in order to help with reducing the chance of having gingivitis, so talk to your dentist and tell them you’re pregnant if you do become pregnant so that they know what’s going on.

Finally, we have menopause, which is when a lot of changes occur as a result of advanced stage of life, and while there are medications which can be taken to combat various diseases and hormonal changes due to menopause, these can affect the taste you have, the sensations within the mouth, and offer much more sensitivity to items which are hot and cold, and of course, decrease the salivary flow, and it can result in dry mouth.

This can of course, bring about tooth decay and gum disease, since the saliva isn’t used to help with cleaning the mouth. This is why, usually women who have experienced menopause have experienced dry mouth. There is also the decline in estrogen that comes from this, since it puts women at a much higher risk for loss of bone density too, especially in the jaw, and this can also cause tooth loss, and receding gums and bone loss in general might happen.

So how do you prevent this? well, brush your teeth twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste, and then floss and rinse with an antiseptic mouthwash at least once daily. Also, don’t’ be afraid to see your dentist, and make sure you report the changes.

Remember, hormones do affect this, and for women, this is something a lot of women don’t realize is a huge issue, and something that they need to deal with. So make sure that you do see your dentist as needed and get the help you need.