mummys to be teeth!

[mythreelittlemonkeys]

Not sure where to put his so if not right place feel free to move!

I just wanted to know if anyone else experiencing bad bleeding in gums...adn achy teeth...and if anyone knew if dental care free/subsidised for mums to be in Australia...I am from Uk and dental care free during pregnancy and for a bit after...
Also if not what is the cost of seeing a dentist over here just for a check up & scale and polish...I live in Perth and really worried that gonna cost me and arm and a leg!
ANy help/advice offered greatly appreciated :)

[M O P]

Think I might be able to help here- I'm a dental assistant.

There isn't much you can do for sore and bleeding gums in pregnancy. It's all down to hormones! (They do so much don't they!) But keep brushing, never stop if they're bleeding (even when you're not preg). And maybe try a mouth rinse and see if this helps.

My English neighbour told me of the great scheme they have in UK for free dental care for preg women. It's a pity we don't have a similar one but I hope this helps to put you in the right direction!

In SA, and I'd reckon WA too but you'd have to check, I might be wrong, the public dental program is for those with a pension or health care card only. You'd also have to go on to a waiting list for routine care, sometimes this might take a couple of years!!( I know it's ridiculous!!) So your best bet would be to go to a private dentist. The price for this varies so much from state to state to dentist to dentist. Not sure if you have private health cover with dental extras but if you do they'll cover some of it. I'd say as a really rough guess to allow $200 for a check up and a scale & clean, again I must say it may not be this much as they vary so much. Give the practices a ring around your area and ask for a guide on their prices. (Some dentists will choose not to do a scale & clean on preg women as their gums are just too fragile.)
:)

[dannii]

my gums/teeth went terrible when i was pregnant. i dreaded brushing them as they would bleed heaps and teeth were sensitive. but not long after i gave birth they really started to get better. hormones!

[Foxy]

My gums bleed really badly from 3months+. The good news is they were totally back to normal a couple of weeks after having bubs.

Hang in there! :)

[Flower159]

Hi there, I'm also from the UK and live in Perth -I miss all the free dental treatment!!
I went to a new dentist for a check up. Didn't think I'd need much done as I'd had everything checked before leaving the UK and was given a clean bill of health (June05) I paid $105 for clean and check up. Since then I've had 5 fillings at a cost of just under $500 :eek: I am dreading the bills now that I'm pregnant again as my teeth go really soft when pregnant - but the consolation is that surely after paying all that money not much else can go wrong???!

Marion

[Tan-mumof3]

Hi GeorgieM,
I too was a dental assistant until about 6 months ago and i live in perth. As Kazza said public or government dental clinics are only for people with a pension or health care card from centrelink, and there is usually a waiting list. The average cost of a checkup and clean is roughly $120-$130 for both. It's a bit expensive i know bur it is worth looking into going as gum disease can be linked to prem births sorry not trying to scare you not even saying that you have it, just saying its probably best to look into getting it checked and even ringing around to get quotes. Do you have private health insurance at all?? If you want to pm me i can give you the phone number of where i used to work. :)