How bad is it not to not brush my teeth?

[Teethdilema]

I’m currently 10 weeks pregnant and feeling very sick. Brushing my teeth is guaranteed to make me vomit.

I am currently managing once a day - if I try and do it as bed time I end up throwing up a lot and feel even grubbier.

I’m usually so good with teeth brushing and hygienist visits etc. so very worried about the damage I’m doing.

Has anyone else not been able to brush much and what was the outcome?

Very important. Try other toothpaste flavours, they’re not all minty. Try childrens section or Holland &Barrett if you’re vomiting a lot, try to rinse your mouth with water afterwards so the acids aren’t sitting there doing further damage

Poor you, sounds dreadful. I don't like most toothpastes, marvin do a range of flavours and i like the cinnamon one they do. I also like just dipping a damp non electric brush into some baking soda and doing a light brush, it's a more "savoury" way that suits me better.

I had this and it was awful! I’m a dentist😂
No long term damage though

But obviously I did still brush twice a day, as it would be minging not to. I just threw up twice a day at least too.

Oranurse toothpaste - you can buy on Amazon. It’s fab. Totally tasteless but has everything you need in it. Hope you feel better soon

"Pregnancy sickness can pose a problem for maintaining oral hygiene as many women, particularly those suffering hyperemesis gravidarum find that brushing their teeth and the foaming toothpaste can trigger retching and vomiting. On top of that, the acid in vomit can cause enamel errosion and sores in your mouth. So, what can you do?

When you can, brush your teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste and floss once a day. Don't rinse after brushing, just spit excess toothpaste out.

Don't brush immediately after vomiting because the acid from your stomach softens the enamel on your teeth. If you then brush you wear this vital layer away. Instead rinse your mouth out with water or a fluoride mouth rinse. Supermarket own brands are great for this as they're generally milder in flavour and cheap so you can have a bottle at home, work, in the car and anywhere else you might need. Wait at least 20 minutes between vomiting and tooth brushing for your tooth enamel to re-harden.

As far as toothbrushes go use a medium hardness brush with a head roughly the size of a pound coin. Experiment if a normal or electric toothbrush is going to be easier for you to tolerate. A battery powered disposable brush may give less vibration than a rechargeable electric one making it easier for you to brush.

When you do manage to brush start by cleaning your back teeth first. This delays toothpaste coming into contact with the taste buds and potentially triggering vomiting.

Choose a sensitive toothpaste as they tend to have less flavour and no foaming agents (SLS) but still contain vital fluoride. Dentists frequently get sent free samples so do ask your dentist for some so you can see what is going to be easiest for you to tolerate.

If you are very prone to decay ask your dentist if the prescription toothpaste Duraphat 5000 and/or prescription mouth rinse might be appropriate for you. NHS dental prescriptions are also free during pregnancy and for 12 months after the birth of your baby.

If you can't tolerate any toothpaste try brushing without any, this will still remove plaque effectively. If you can't manage that you could use a flannel to gently rub your teeth to remove plaque. You could follow either of these by rubbing a thin smear of toothpaste over your teeth with your finger.

Frequent sugary or carbohydrate based snacks can lead to tooth decay but tend to be necessary whilst suffering from HG. If you can, chew sugar free gum containing xylitol after each snack. Xylitol has been shown to stop plaque forming on your teeth. Also if you're struggling to brush it can be helpful to use instead. If you're having frequent sugary or fizzy drinks use a straw so the acid and sugar bypasses your teeth.

Research has shown that there's possibly a link between gum disease (periodontal disease) and premature birth. If you have periodontal disease and are struggling to keep your usual oral hygiene routine talk to your dentist for a personalised management plan.

Make sure you take advantage of the free NHS treatment all women are entitled to whilst pregnant and for 12 months following the birth of their child to get your oral health back on track.
References

Attin T, Knofel S, Buchalla W, Tutuncu R. (2001) In situ evaluation of different remineralization periods to decrease brushing abrasion of demineralised enamel. Caries Res. 35:216-222

Chestnutt IG, Schafer F, Jacobson AP, Stephen KW. (1998) The influence of tooth brushing frequency and post-brushing rinsing on caries in a caries clinical trial. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 26(6):406-411

Crowther CA, Thomas N, Middleton P, Chua MC, Esposito M. (2005) Treating periodontal disease for preventing preterm birth in pregnant women (Protocol) Chochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 2

Johansson AK, Lingstrom P, Imfeld T et al. (2004) Influence of drinking method on tooth-surface pH in relation to dental erosion. Eur J Oral Sci 112: 484-489

Keukenmeester RS, Slot, DE, Rosena NAM, Van Loveren C, Van der Weijden GA. (2014) Effects of sugar-free chewing gum sweetened with xylitol or mantitol on the development of gingivitis and plaque: a randomized clinical trial. International journal of Dental Hygiene 12:238-244

Paice EM, Vowles RW, West NX et al. (2011) The erosive effects of saliva following chewing gum on enamel and dentine: an ex vivo study. Br Dent J 210(3):E3

Royal College of Surgeons, England. (2013) Clinical guideline on Dental Erosion – Diagnosis, Prevention and management of dental erosion.

Steinberg BJ, Hilton I, Iada H, Samelson R. (2013) Oral health and dental care during pregnancy. Dent Clin N Am 57:195-210"

Source: www.pregnancysicknesssupport.org.uk/get-help/

Couldn't link directly to the relevant section, so have pasted it in my comment above. There's a lot of ill-informed comments here.

I used to imagine I was licking an iceberg when I brushed very quickly. It kept the vomit away for a minute.
Sympathies from me. It's a dreadful thing to experience.

Or if you have a garden can you brush there? The slugs used to eat my sick if I was sick in the garden. (I may have had very low standards during that wretched period).

Try brushing your teeth holding your nose. I think it worked for me. I don't think it's a good idea to brush teeth once a day.

My son used to hate the taste of toothpaste so we used to buy flavourless stuff from Amazon. I'll try to find it...

Oranurse 50ml Unflavoured Toothpaste Pack of 2 amzn.eu/d/1fhX82t

Like others have said it is the brushing that cleans the teeth more than anything and not the toothpaste x

OP - I've just got over the terrible morning sickness and vomiting stage. My dentist checked my teeth specifically for acid erosion as I'd been so sick. I told her I'd been brushing immediately after getting sick and she said that actually makes things worse as it moves the acid around. She said next time try sugar free gum after being sick as the excess saliva would help more to clear the acid.

What about just brushing with no toothpaste then maybe half an hour or so later, use a fluoride mouthwash? Maybe it's the combination of the toothpaste and brushing together?

Thank you everyone. Will give these suggestions a try. Tbh, even smelling toothpaste on my husbands breath is enough to set me off atm!

OP are you medicated? Because that’s the crux of the issue here.

m do what you e got to do to get through the next few days until any meds kick inn(if you choose to take them).

I feel for you. A decade on and each time I brush my teeth (2-3times a day) I have to steel myself. Most mornings I still retch.

I used this during pregnancy as the minty taste me me gag and retch terribly.

It's odd (it doesn't have a flavour and it doesn't foam) and felt like I was brushing my teeth with a moisturiser, but it was better than not brushing at all.

For me, the day after I gave birth, I used minty toothpaste again and was absolutely fine!

Oranurse Unflavoured Toothpaste 50 ml (Pack of 1) amzn.eu/1QKNfTI