I'm pregnant. Can I have braces?
Yes: pregnancy on its own is not a reason to say no: pregnancy on its own is not a reason to say no. What changes is the timing, because some steps wait until after the birth and some don't, and that is decided at the examination, together with your obstetrician.
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The answer in full
Pregnancy on its own is not a reason to say no to braces. Braces work on your teeth and your jaw, and there is no evidence that braces affect the baby. So the real question isn't “can I or can't I”. It's “when, and with which precautions”.
Three things actually make a difference: timing (how far along you are), x-rays (the images usually taken at the start of orthodontic treatment), and your gums (pregnancy hormones make them swell and bleed more easily, and braces make them harder to keep clean).
All of that is decided at the examination, in coordination with your obstetrician. Not over the phone, and not from an article, including this one.
If you're planning to start braces
The first step in orthodontic treatment is usually x-rays and measurements. So if you're early in the pregnancy, the x-rays are often held off, begin the actual work in the middle months, or wait until after the birth if your case can wait. That varies from one case to the next, and the examination makes it clear. And in case you were wondering, age isn't a barrier either: Braces as an adult: age is not the barrier.
If you're already partway through braces
You carry on. Pregnancy doesn't stop treatment that's already under way; it changes how it's followed: more attention to the gums, and visits that may become shorter or closer together. Tell the doctor as soon as you know, and don't remove or loosen anything yourself.
If you started your braces abroad and are continuing them in Amman, bring whatever your previous orthodontist gave you: notes, x-rays, the type of appliance. It saves repeating steps, and it saves x-rays.
What waits and what doesn't
This is the general rule. The doctor applies it to your own case:
Waits: until the middle months, or after the birth
- Routine x-rays. If they aren't needed for a diagnosis right now, they're postponed. If one becomes necessary, it's taken with as few images as possible and with the precautions the doctor decides for your case.
- Starting in the first months. The early months bring nausea and tiredness, and the usual practice is to begin non-urgent work in the middle months or after the birth.
- Extractions for orthodontic reasons. If your plan needs a tooth out to make room, and there's no pain and no urgent infection, it waits for a time the doctor agrees with your obstetrician.
- Jaw surgery. If your case needs surgery alongside the braces, that waits until after the birth, because it is planned surgery, not urgent.
- Laughing gas. Postponed during pregnancy, and in most cases braces don't call for it anyway.
Doesn't wait
- The examination itself. The first examination usually needs no x-ray, and if one is needed you hear why first. You come in, you're examined, and you leave understanding where things stand and what the steps are.
- Continuing braces you already have. Tightening wires, changing elastics, following aligner trays: all of it carries on.
- A wire that's cutting you, or a piece that's come loose. That can't wait, because a cut in the cheek or gum can get infected.
- Cleaning your teeth and gums. If anything, it matters more in pregnancy, and the doctor may ask for cleanings more often than usual.
- Pain, infection or decay. An abscess or a painful infection doesn't clear on its own, and in pregnancy we don't wait on it: urgent treatment is done in coordination with your obstetrician, not postponed.
And clear aligners?
Nothing about pregnancy rules them out. The trays come out for eating and brushing, so keeping the gums clean is easier, and that helps in pregnancy specifically. But whether aligners or fixed braces are right for you is a question for the examination, not a question about the pregnancy.
What changes in pregnancy
What changes isn't the braces. It's you. Your body behaves differently in pregnancy, and these are the things you'll notice and can do something about:
Your gums
Pregnancy hormones make the gums react more strongly to plaque: they swell, redden and bleed when you brush, usually from the second or third month on. It has a name, pregnancy gingivitis. With braces, plaque collects around the brackets more, so the two together call for more careful brushing. It isn't dangerous in itself, but it isn't something to ignore. And a clean mouth matters for your baby once they arrive: the bacteria behind decay can pass from a mother's mouth to her child.
Nausea
If you're throwing up, stomach acid passes over your teeth and the wires. Rinse your mouth with water straight away, and wait a little before brushing, because brushing on acid scrubs the enamel.
Eating
Cravings and snacking between meals add up to more times eating, and every time you eat with braces means food caught around the brackets. The point isn't to deny yourself. The point is water or a brush afterwards.
Sitting in the chair
In the last months, lying back for a long stretch is tiring. Visits become shorter, the chair is raised a little, and you can ask for a break at any point.
What to do from here
- 1
Say you're pregnantAt your first visit, or as soon as you know, and how far along you are. It changes the order of the steps, and the doctor can't tell on his own.
- 2
Bring your obstetrician's detailsIf we need to coordinate on timing or on a suitable painkiller, the contact is ready. If your obstetrician is abroad, their details still help. And a painkiller in pregnancy is decided by the doctor together with your obstetrician, not picked off a pharmacy shelf on your own.
- 3
Brush after every mealA soft brush, a small interdental brush for between the teeth and around the brackets, and floss for the gaps. With sensitive gums, gentle and regular beats hard.
- 4
After nausea: water firstRinse with water, wait a little, then brush. And never go to sleep without brushing, however tired you are.
- 5
Don't skip appointmentsFollow-up visits are what keep the braces and the gums on track together. If a visit is hard on you, say so, and we'll make it shorter or bring it closer.
- 6
And don't sit on painAn abscess or a painful infection doesn't clear on its own, and in pregnancy we don't wait on it. A wire that's cutting, bleeding that won't stop, or swelling: those get a call the same day.
When to call
Most of what happens with braces during pregnancy is normal and gets sorted at the next visit. But some things don't wait for the appointment:
- Heavy gum bleeding that doesn't stop with gentle brushing.
- Swelling in the gum or the cheek, or visible swelling of the face.
- A wire sticking out and cutting you, or a piece that's come loose so you can't eat.
- Throbbing pain, or pain that wakes you at night.
- A fever with any of the above.
Call, and we'll give you the earliest available time and tell you what to do until you get here. If the swelling reaches your eye, or swallowing or breathing gets hard, that is a hospital emergency, not an appointment. Pain that gets worse at night has its own page: Toothache: what to do right now.
Who treats you?
The clinic has a team of dentists, Dr. Adnan Alakhras among them. He holds a Professional Diploma in Fixed Orthodontics and a clinical master's degree in paediatric dentistry. So the same clinic that follows your braces can see your child from the first tooth. Read about the doctor and the clinic.
Questions people ask
Can I get braces while I'm pregnant?
Yes: pregnancy on its own is not a reason to say no, and pregnancy on its own isn't a reason to say no. What changes is the timing: x-rays and any non-urgent start are usually postponed to the middle months or until after the birth, while the examination itself doesn't wait. The decision is made at the examination, in coordination with your obstetrician.
Do braces affect the pregnancy?
The braces themselves? There is no evidence they affect the pregnancy. The wires and brackets are in your mouth, and there is no evidence that braces affect the pregnancy. What matters in pregnancy is three things around them: x-rays (postponed, or taken with precautions), painkillers (decided by the doctor with your obstetrician), and your gums (which need more care). Each of them is worked out at the examination.
Are dental x-rays safe during pregnancy?
Dental x-rays use a small dose, but the rule is simple: an x-ray that can wait, waits. If the doctor needs one for a diagnosis, he tells you why and takes as few images as possible, with the precautions he decides for your case. The routine x-rays for starting braces are usually postponed.
I'm partway through braces and just found out I'm pregnant. Should I have them taken off?
No, and don't remove anything yourself. Tell the doctor as soon as you know, and he carries on with follow-up shaped around the pregnancy: more attention to the gums, and shorter or closer visits if needed. Taking braces off halfway can let the teeth drift back, which is exactly what we're trying to avoid.
My gums bleed around the braces. Is that normal in pregnancy?
Common, and the cause is pregnancy hormones making the gums react to plaque faster, while the braces make cleaning harder. The answer isn't to brush less so they bleed less. It's to brush more gently and more thoroughly, and to keep your cleaning appointment. If the bleeding is heavy and won't stop, or there's swelling, call.
Do clear aligners suit pregnancy more than fixed braces?
For cleaning, in one sense, yes: the trays come out for eating and brushing, so the gums are easier to keep clean, and that's a relief in pregnancy. But what's right for you is decided by the shape of your teeth and your bite, not by the pregnancy alone. The examination shows whether your case can be treated with aligners at all.
Is laser teeth whitening safe during pregnancy?
Whitening is cosmetic, and there's no urgency to it, so the usual practice is to wait until after the birth, and many dentists prefer to wait until after breastfeeding too, because there isn't enough safety data in pregnancy. What doesn't wait is cleaning your teeth and gums. Cleaning or whitening: what is the difference.
Your next step
An examination, usually with no x-ray. You come in, you're examined, and you leave knowing what waits and what doesn't in your own case. Bring your obstetrician's details in case we need to coordinate.
Pages that go with this one
This is general information, not a diagnosis of your case. The decision is made at the examination, in coordination with your obstetrician.