Effects of Contraceptive Pills on Gums

Introduction

Contraceptive pills are made of hormones that prevent fertility. Therefore, taking birth control pills will cause hormonal changes in women. These hormonal changes may enhance the sensitivity to oral health conditions, which affect the blood supply to the gum tissue and the body's response to the toxins formed by plaque buildup.

Nowadays, women have various methods to choose to prevent pregnancy. However, many products and brands are available with different levels of hormones and side effects. In addition, many of these contraceptives have other side effects than preventing a woman from conceiving.

What Are Oral Contraceptives?

Oral contraceptives, known as birth control pills, are 99 % effective in preventing pregnancy when taken regularly. The birth control pill consists of hormones that regulate the menstrual cycle, reduce the risk of ovarian and uterine cancer, increase acne, and treat endometriosis.

How Do Hormonal Changes Affect Oral Health?

Certain phases of a woman’s life will greatly impact overall health: puberty, pregnancy, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and menopause. For example, fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone levels can have a negative impact on oral health. In addition, many forms of birth control methods involve hormones, and when hormonal levels are altered on a huge scale, the person's overall health is affected.

In the oral environment, the fluctuation of these hormonal levels will have an inflammatory response on the gums causing gum disease-like symptoms. Some common symptoms caused due to birth control pills are:

• Sore.

• Swollen.

• Bleeding gums.

Gum diseases are directly linked to enhanced risk of other health conditions such as heart conditions, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and some cancers.

What Are the Side Effects of Oral Contraceptives?

All types of birth control methods include some amount of estrogen and progesterone. The initial month of starting birth control significantly impacts the body. When there is a huge fluctuation of hormones, few women experience gum disease symptoms and enhanced tooth sensitivity. Women at higher risk of gum conditions or gingivitis should be more aware of the side effects caused by oral contraceptives, which can even worsen oral conditions.

What Is the Relationship Between Birth Control Pills and Oral Health?

Contraceptive pills prevent pregnancy by altering hormonal levels, causing hormonal imbalance, and preparing the body for a hostile environment for fertilization addition, and these pills contain estrogen and progesterone. Such increased levels of estrogen and progesterone make the gums get infected and inflamed.

Puffy red and bleeding gums are the initial signs to be noticed. The hormonal imbalance causes favorable conditions for bacteria to develop in the mouth. This enhances the colonization of bad bacteria and attracts more bad bacteria to form a thin film on the surface of the teeth and around the gums, known as plaque.

Any underlying medical conditions may fasten the pace of gum infections and surrounding tissues, resulting in disease of the bone structures in the near future. Long-term use of oral contraceptives has more effects on gum health. Early damages can cause

• Loose gums.

• Receding gums.

• Loose teeth.

• Spacing between teeth.

Nowadays, contraceptive pills have reduced estrogen levels, lowering the severity of gum inflammation.

What Are the Side Effects of Birth Control Pills on Gum Health?

1. Bleeding Gums:

Bleeding gums are the common side effects of birth control pills. Enhanced levels of bacteria result in inflammation and swelling of the gums. Unfortunately, this attracts many bacteria, destroying the tooth.

2. Dry Sockets:

Women under contraceptive pills are twice as likely to develop dry sockets. Dry sockets occur as a post-tooth extraction complication. Soon after the tooth's removal, the socket gets filled with blood clots. These blood clots dissolve if the woman is under a contraceptive pill, resulting in a dry socket, which leads to slower painful healing. This is due to estrogen in the contraceptive pill, which causes a slow wound-healing process and enhances pain sensitivity.

3. Dry Mouth (Xerostomia):

A dry mouth is one of the most common side effects due to all forms of contraceptive pills. A dry mouth is a condition where the salivary glands reduce saliva secretion. Saliva plays a significant role in the body. It helps to prevent the teeth from bacteria and to swallow food. A dry mouth may result in a higher risk of cavities and cause bad breath.

4. Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMD):

TMD is a condition caused due to stiffness of the jaw joint. Pain radiates to the inner ear. It's caused because the contraceptive pills contain artificial estrogen, which reduces estrogen in the body. Reduced estrogen level results in inflammation of the jaw area, which results in pain and stiffness.

What Steps Can Be Followed to Manage Oral Health Under Contraceptive Pills?

• Consult with the dentist and physician before starting the pill.

• Regular cleaning should be followed, and any problematic changes noticed should be discussed with the dentist.

• Brushing and flossing should be done twice a day.

• A healthy diet should be followed, and snacks should be limited.

• Sufficient amount of calcium intake.

• Reduce sweet snacks.

• Drink more water which can dissolve and flush sugars.

• Eating time should be regulated. Intake of meals helps in more saliva production when compared to eating snacks. Saliva helps wash out the food from the mouth and helps regulate the effects of acid.

• Chewing sugarless gums; while doing this, the food particles between the teeth are eliminated.

• Smoking should be stopped, as it enhances the risk of oral condition.

What Are the Forms of Birth Control Pills That Affect Oral Health?

The contraceptive pills which affect oral conditions are:

• Oral contraceptives.

• Birth control implants.

• IUDs (intrauterine device).

• Vaginal rings.

• Birth control patches.

• Birth control injections.

Some Birth Control Forms That Do Not Affect Oral Health Are:

• Barrier-based methods, like condoms, sponges, diaphragm, and cervical caps.

• Copper IUDs.

• Natural rhythm methods.

How Can These Issues Be Prevented?

As a hormonal contraceptive method can hurt oral health, alternative birth control methods can be chosen. Alternative methods like barrier-based birth control like condoms and copper IUDs provide the same contraceptive effect without additional risk to oral health. If a woman is under a hormone-based birth control method, it should be used briefly. The more exposed the person is to increase estrogen and progesterone, the more oral health risk factors.

While taking contraceptives, it is advisable to take a low-dosage pill. Even when higher dosage pills are more effective in preventing pregnancy, they also enhance the risk of periodontal problems. A doctor can be consulted to discuss shifting to a low-dosage pill. The doctor may also recommend some combined methods of birth control instead of putting the person at a higher risk of oral problems due to the intake of birth control pills. Finally, a regular visit to the dentist is mandatory while on birth control pills, as the dentist may warn the person against any oral health risks. Treating periodontal problems early can reverse the condition before the damage is permanent.

Conclusion

Birth control pills are a common method of birth control used by a larger population of women. These birth control pills contain artificial estrogen and progesterone, which causes hormonal imbalance. Besides the advantage of not allowing the person to conceive, its major and common disadvantage is it affects oral health. To avoid these issues, an alternative method of birth control can be chosen, or a lower dosage of birth control pills can be taken. A regular check on oral health should be followed under birth control pills.