Being pregnant is a journey in a female’s life which does affect one’s dental healthcare. Some of us tend to forego our dental care while we are busy battling with morning sickness, weight fluctuations, body aches, and clothing drama. On a regular basis, many of us tend to avoid going to the dentist due to lack of insurance, fear, costs, lacking interest, or just unaware of dental diseases. During the first trimester, some clinicians will advise you to avoid visiting a dentist unless it is an emergency plus avoid x-rays and medications but some will say that they’re safe in moderation. You, the mother, has to make that final decision to seek dental care or not after researching the risks and benefits.

 Some of the issues that can develop during pregnancy are cavities, gingivitis (plaque with red and bleeding gums) which can lead to periodontitis (plaque that releases toxins causing an infection), erosion (caused by the gastric acid from the vomiting), loosen teeth, and dry mouth. I’ve actually interacted with females who have suffered from some of these issues where some seek while others were scared. One female had loose teeth which caused her much discomfort but her dentist advised an increase in her calcium intake. She was fine after delivering! According to Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System in some states: over 50% didn’t have dental insurance, over 50% didn’t do a cleaning while pregnant and over 50% didn’t discuss dental care with their clinicians. If you have dental insurance, please use it and if you do not have then try to find a public hospital or community health center in your area. Dental health is a crucial part of our overall health. Also, parents should avoid passing their saliva onto their children via kissing on the mouths and sucking the pacifier clean because it can make them sick. You have to remember that we only have one set of real adult teeth to take care of so make the extra effort to protect them.

Circumcision is a very sensitive topic which should be approached with care and consideration of the parent/s views about it. Usually, only males are circumcised and the procedure is mostly done when they’re a newborn baby. The foreskin is a tissue which covers the tip (meatus and glans) of the penis and it gets removed via a surgery. This procedure is elective so if you’re not guided by religion, tradition or culture to make it mandatory. It can become a medical necessity to be circumcised due to various health reasons but readings have stated that it becomes riskier as we age. American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has stated that the benefits do outweigh the risks to recommend circumcision but not universally as it is the final choice of the parent/s or caregivers. A circumcised and uncircumcised penis have different physical appearances. We just have to find a way to accept whichever version we have unless we have a means to change it. Do not allow people to body shame you in any way so you have to learn to like and defend yourself. Newborns’ circumcision is a few minutes whereas adults are a hour or more then the healing is a few days. Will my baby feel pain? There may be pain but your baby’s doctors will use medications to help relieve it. You may be wondering what are some of the benefits so here they are: a lower risk of getting urinary tract infections, of sexually transmitted diseases, of penile cancer, of giving females cervical cancer, of balanitis (inflammation of the glans), of balanoposthitis (inflammation of the glans and foreskin), phimosis (unable to retract the foreskin backwards), and paraphimois (unable to extend the foreskin outwards). Some of the risks are excessive bleeding (inform your doctor if any family member has a history of bleeding prior to the surgery), infection, meatitis (inflammation of the opening), and injury. You can prevent some of the things with proper hygiene practices so you as a parent/ caregiver is responsible for teaching your male children how to care for their uncircumcised penis. I do not want my child to get sick requiring medications, sonograms, etc. as this can affect their bladder and kidney functioning. I’ve seen parents/caregivers struggle with a sick male baby with an uncircumcised penis so I would definitely advocate for circumcision based on medical reasons. For me, I feel that it is beneficial and has better health outcomes based on the little research I have done and from witnessing how others have had issues with their uncircumcised babies. My Grandmother said that during her era, some babies who were born at home in Guyana were circumcised as their parent/s granted permission to a Muslim priest to do it. According to the World Health Organization, the rates of circumcision has been declining in USA which comes from records of hospital births.