Compared to men, women are more likely to have dental problems

Tooth and gum problems can happen to anyone, but it turns out that women experience them more often than men. Not only toothaches, women are even at a higher risk of experiencing other problems, such as plaque and caries, cavities, gum disease and its complications.

Why are women more prone to experiencing dental problems?

The high risk of dental problems in women is caused by changes in various hormones in the body. Here are some conditions in women that can affect hormones and increase the risk of dental problems:

1. The period of puberty

Most women who often experience dental problems usually begin to feel the symptoms from puberty. During this period, there is an increase in the production of the hormones estrogen and progesterone which play an important role in the menstrual cycle.

The increase in the amount of estrogen and progesterone also increases blood flow to the gums. This condition triggers an overreaction between the gums and germs on the dental plaque. The reaction that occurs makes the gums swell, reddish, painful, and bleeds more easily.

2. Menstruation

Once you enter the beginning of your menstrual period, the hormone progesterone increases, which makes your gums and teeth more sensitive. The impact is swollen and bleeding gums, canker sores, swollen salivary glands, and toothaches.

Women will experience teeth and gum problems more often because menstruation occurs every month. Therefore, every woman needs to be more careful about maintaining oral and dental hygiene in order to avoid health problems in this area.

3. Use of birth control pills

The use of birth control pills will increase the hormones progesterone and estrogen. As a result, your body experiences the same effects as during puberty and menstruation. These effects usually appear during the first few months of using birth control pills.

The good news is that modern birth control pills now have lower levels of the hormones progesterone and estrogen. This is certainly beneficial for women who often experience dental problems and can only choose birth control pills as their contraceptive method.

4. Pregnancy

Pregnancy makes various hormones in the body increase drastically, especially progesterone. Increased progesterone can inhibit the body's ability to fight bacteria in dental plaque.

This condition makes it easier for plaque to form and makes your gums susceptible to infection. Untreated gum infection can eventually develop into gingivitis, which is a severe inflammation of the gum tissue.

5. Menopause

Menopause not only makes women more likely to experience dental problems, it also triggers other disorders. These include a burning sensation in the mouth, changes in the ability to taste, sensitive teeth, and dry mouth.

Dry mouth in particular, cannot be taken lightly. Your oral hygiene is maintained because saliva carries bacteria in the crevices of your teeth. If the mouth is dry, bacteria can survive, leaving the teeth prone to rot and cavities.

Dental problems that often afflict women are usually related to hormonal changes, making them difficult to treat or prevent. However, you can reduce the risk by always maintaining oral and dental hygiene.

Brush your teeth at least twice a day. Use dental floss to clean gaps and areas where the toothbrush cannot reach. Complete with regular check-ups to the dentist at least every six months.