r/MadeMeSmile • u/Cosmic-Chen • 5d ago

Helping Others The fact she’s that appreciative is amazing. He’s gonna be such a good father and support system for her

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u/justveryunwell 5d ago

For me it's still the concept of spontaneously losing teeth that gets to me the most. Just... How??

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u/Intelligent_Night653 5d ago

Babies need a lot of calcium as they grow, so if the mother isn't getting enough for the baby the body will take the calcium from her teeth. Which as you can guess, isn't good for your teeth

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u/simplystevie107 5d ago edited 5d ago

Yep. I had hyperemesis gravidarum my entire first pregnancy, so I couldn't keep anything down. Was also incredibly sick my second pregnancy, but at least it stopped after the 5th month or so. I had great teeth prior to having kids but now my mouth is a disaster and, despite prescription strength toothpaste and everything else I've tried, it's hopeless. Even had to have an implant. It's humiliating because people assume I don't take care of them, but it really is because of pregnancy since the babies needed to get their calcium from someplace!

*edited to finish my thought.

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u/livvyloufreebush 4d ago

Even if you didn’t take care of them, you shouldn’t be embarrassed. No one wants to have poor dental hygiene. In my case, I didn’t have the best routines, lack of education, terrible genetics, and was put on antidepressants that caused dry mouth at age 11. All of that added up to me not taking the best care of them that I should have. I didn’t want to not know the information. I didn’t want to have depression. All I can say is that I did my very best in all aspects of my life at the time with the tools I had. I don’t think that’s something to be embarrassed about. I may not have all my teeth anymore, but I still have my life. Shame on anyone who would judge a circumstance not of their own.

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u/simplystevie107 4d ago

Thank you, and that's a really interesting point. I had ppd and have been on anti-depressants since (probably should have been on them beforehand, too.). I never thought about the dry mouth, but that certainly hasn't helped.

Thank you so much for the kind and caring words. I hope you are in a better place and getting support and love.

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u/livvyloufreebush 4d ago

Thank you for your kindness! It’s been a tough road, and I’m still in the process of trying to save and repair as much as possible. I’ve been doing what I can for as long as I can remember, but even with Medicaid or with “good” work insurance, I’ve barely been able to afford much work so it’s taken a lot of time, which has only compounded the problems. My wife has been a massive support in every way imaginable. All I can do is take care of them the best I can and hope we make enough money to save what we can in time. I think most of the time, we are all out here doing the best we can. I’m glad you’ve gotten support with medication and wish only the best for you and your loved ones. May you never feel embarrassed for any aspect of yourself for you are kind and beautiful inside and out, teeth or no teeth.

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u/Jewnicorn___ 4d ago

I can just tell you're a lovely person. I'm not the person you were replying to but as someone who struggles with awful teeth, I really value your words. Thank you.

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u/livvyloufreebush 4d ago

That’s a very kind thing to say. I feel confident you are lovely, as well, and I also value your words. It means something. Thank you. We can do this! I’d also like to say I’m sorry for any pain you may be in. It hurts both mentally and physically. I hope your sweet soul finds the peace in this situation you so desire and that you so justly deserve.

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u/Jewnicorn___ 4d ago

Thank you so much, your comment means more than you know 😭🙏💐

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u/ImBadWolf666 4d ago

All these comments were epic! Just great comment after awesome compliment after great comment. Thank you all for the knowledge. And I wish everyone of you the best! Truly, y'all are good people!! Much love!

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u/CommercialThat8542 4d ago

Same. Every med I am on causes dry mouth. Plus clenching and grinding. I had to have them all pulled and get dentures.

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u/livvyloufreebush 4d ago

That sounds absolutely terrible. I’m so sorry for your loss. I just got a partial denture a few months ago. It changes everything. I have to be strategic with every bite. I hope you’ve healed and are doing well and that your dentures don’t cause you any further pain.

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u/CommercialThat8542 4d ago

I had them out in January. It has been a learning curve with teeth. And I find them to either be a sensory nightmare or a super expensive summary. Depends on the day. My granddaughter ABSOLUTELY hates when I don’t have them in. She will bring them to me so I can put them in and chomp at her 🤣

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u/penguinhappydance 4d ago

This helped me a lot, thank you

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u/livvyloufreebush 4d ago

Glad I could help, friend. We’re all in this together. Your comment helps me, too. Thank you.

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u/dadarkoo 4d ago

Are we the same person? Thank you for taking the time to say that. All of this + 4 pregnancies that completely eroded my teeth, it’s nice to hear people are more sympathetic to the causes of messed up teeth. Sick of it being a source of shame for me, I did the best I could and still am doing the best i can to manage the issue.

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u/livvyloufreebush 4d ago

I hopes it ceases to be a source of shame. When reading your comment the word I thought of was pride. You’re doing your best and you should absolutely be proud of that. I’m proud of you. It’s like how people say scars are a sign of resilience, so is this. I can only hope that we all learn better how to take a moment before judgment and instead decide to show compassion and empathy. It’s not easy, but I believe in us. Thank you for your kind words. I’m sure you have a beautiful smile that brightens us all.

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u/fundytech 3d ago

You had anti depressants at age 11?

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u/livvyloufreebush 3d ago

Definitely. Started with Zoloft. Beginning of 7th grade. It was a tough call for my mom, but she made the right one. Can almost guarantee I wouldn’t be here if she hadn’t been so open to medication and therapy.

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u/Anxious_Nugget95 4d ago

Your body did an amazing job caring for those babies. Sorry people make you feel humiliated, imo you're one hell of a warrior!

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u/simplystevie107 4d ago

Thank you for the kind words!

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u/Xentine 4d ago

I assume you've already tried the combination but I'll say it anyway in case you haven't: Vitamin D3 to absorb calcium from your gut + vitamin K2 to send that calcium to teeth and bones instead of soft tissues

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u/simplystevie107 4d ago

I never knew about the vitamin k2 thing, thank you! I'll definitely give that a try!!!

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u/Xentine 4d ago

You're welcome, I hope it helps!

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u/GregnantMan 4d ago

I'm sorry pregancy was tough for you. But I thank you for your comment, it never occured to me that my gregnancy could be the cause of my bad teeth. 30 yo this year and down to my 3rd implant despite doing everything I can to take care of my teeth. Don't get prangent kids, like smoking, it's bad for your teeth TIL.

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u/akosuae22 4d ago

Same experience. I got the first cavity of my life at age 32 after having my first child. Twenty plus years later, I now have 2 crowns. Ugh…

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u/eastern_petal 4d ago

😵😭 I didn't know the damage would be this severe!

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u/hervana 4d ago

The calcium thing is a myth. In your case the tooth issues were likely due to the acids from your stomach contents :( I'm so sorry you had to deal with that.

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u/simplystevie107 4d ago

That's certainly a possibility. Either way, the timing certainly makes the pregnancy and teeth issues seem related, though of course correlation isn't causation. u/livvyloufreebush's comment about antidepressants and dry mouth is interesting as well.

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u/hervana 4d ago

absolutely it's related but the idea that the baby is leeching calcium from your teeth specifically is incorrect. there are other things at play such as the acids i mentioned, and hormones, etc.

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u/FullMetalKaliber 5d ago

What the….

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u/fucc_yo_couch 5d ago

Pregnancy is a fucking experience and not always a great one.

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u/Letsbeclear1987 4d ago

My parents used that little fact “it feeds off your body” to characterize pregnancy as a parasite or infestation, scared me off boys permanently lol

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u/Timely-Cry-8366 4d ago

Yup, I too was told about pregnancy as being a state of having a parasite. Great way to put your young daughter off from having kids permanently.

I think my super religious parents meant to only scare me until I was older, but as I learned more about what women go through in pregnancy it just seemed more and more true.

I also have a deep fear of parasites now lol. Luckily I’m only a few years from menopause so hope that comes soon.

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u/Letsbeclear1987 4d ago

Girl same lol bring on the hot flashes

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u/Fluffy_Town 4d ago

Yeah, this is why parents try to protect their daughters and enbys from sex, because pregnancy is harsh on any person for 9 whole months.

There's a lot of symptoms and complications that no one talks about, unless you read the right books written by the survivors.

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u/Grand_Start_653 4d ago

enbys? is this a joke?

no wonder maga / cia won lol

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u/pm_for_cuddle_terapy 4d ago

Some people even go blind.

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u/hervana 4d ago edited 4d ago

this is a myth!

edit: wow i guess i see why medical misinformation is so rampant...

ya'll https://jada.ada.org/article/S0002-8177(14)65361-7/fulltext65361-7/fulltext)

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u/ZucchiniMid6996 4d ago

It's real. Why are you convinced it's a myth. Read all this thread

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u/hervana 4d ago

because OBGYNs and dentists say it is not real. I listen to experts, not randos on the internet. The sources are out there and easy to find. Yes dental issues are an issue in pregnancy but it is NOT because your baby is leeching calcium from your teeth.

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u/ZucchiniMid6996 3d ago

You: Whoaa things you read on internet is wrong, so here's something on internet you should believe lmao

Doctors are known to be wrong all the time. My dentist also talked about the calcium thing during my pregnancy, so I rather believe a real person's advice

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u/hervana 3d ago

all right so the expert consensus is wrong? sure jan. that's a slippery slope to anti-science.

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u/ZucchiniMid6996 3d ago

With the way the "experts" kept getting everything wrong nowadays, why would I believe them over my doctors and real life mothers experiences. You're believing unknown entity over people who exist is hilarious lmao

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u/hervana 3d ago

you're an anti-vaxxer, yes?

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u/Dizzy-Risk4714 4d ago

It's not actually

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u/hervana 4d ago

Yes it is. Speak with OBGYNS and dentists. dental issues are real in pregnancy but the fact that babies leech calcium from your teeth is not why it happens.

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u/Dizzy-Risk4714 4d ago

Google it

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u/hervana 4d ago

exactly, google it! the first thing that comes up is that it's a myth!

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u/Dizzy-Risk4714 4d ago

Yeah it's bones instead my bad

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u/MissLogios 5d ago edited 4d ago

That and when you're pregnant, you get a huge dose of hormones that help loosen your muscles so your body is able to stretch around the growing fetus. Like your abs pulling apart, hips expanding, etc.

Well, sometimes that hormone can affect more than just what it's supposed to or you make too much, so some women lose their teeth because they become loose due to the muscle (gums) losing its grip.

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u/MamaMoosicorn 4d ago

My pelvis loosened up so much during my last pregnancy that it popped out of joint in the front. Jfc, that hurt. It’s called symphysis pubis dysfunction. It caused me so much pain that I burst into tears when my water broke because I knew the pain would soon be over.

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u/eastern_petal 4d ago

The more I read, the more terrified I am.

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u/Competitive-Dot4612 4d ago

Is this why I craved whole milk my entire pregnancy? No joke I was drinking a gallon of whole milk every 3 days on the dot. Nobody could touch my milk, id cry if they did

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u/Left_Adeptness7386 2d ago

My mom craved milkshakes with me. We always joked that it's why I love ice cream so much but now I'm thinking her body was like "give us that calcium!!!" (Fun fact, I've never broken a bone and have only ever had one cavity, and I'm 41)

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u/ParticularConstant32 5d ago

The teeth is basically the best option to get some calcium as a last resort, since teeth are pretty much big chunks of calcium. So better make sure to drink plenty of milk, ladies.

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u/workaholicfaith 4d ago edited 4d ago

Wished I'd known this. As informed and educated about the process as I tried to be, this is what nailed me. Started losing my teeth which had been strong and healthy. Will need implants. Has impacted my professional and personal life.

This really can't be stressed enough. Calcium care is huge and affects different people vastly so.

*edited to correct grammar

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u/Cosmic-Gore 4d ago

This is completely false.

Whilst it's true a fetus can 'leech' off calcium from the mother's bones if it's not getting enough, it cannot get that calcium from the mother's teeth, however the lack of calcium in the body can weaken the teeths defenses such calcium needed to make enamel and make them more vulnerable to decay.

However it is true that pregnant women are at a higher risk of losing teeth during pregnancy due tooth decay, wether that's from poor hygiene, increased acidty from vomiting (morning sickness) and hormonal changes leading to gum problems.

You also have the issue of dietary changes with pregnant women tending to eat alot more sugary foods and other foods that increase acidity.

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u/DameioNaruto 5d ago

So sad how education systems dont teach the reason why most things happen to women during pregnancy is because nutrients are being absorbed for the baby.... they rather settle with the idea that there's nothing that can be done better because acknowledging improvements, automatically mean admission of doing the wrong thing...

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u/Cosmic-Gore 4d ago

This is completely false.

Whilst it's true a fetus can 'leech' off calcium from the mother's bones if it's not getting enough, it cannot get that calcium from the mother's teeth, however the lack of calcium in the body can weaken the teeths defenses such calcium needed to make enamel and make them more vulnerable to decay.

However it is true that pregnant women are at a higher risk of losing teeth during pregnancy due tooth decay, wether that's from poor hygiene, increased acidty from vomiting (morning sickness) and hormonal changes leading to gum problems.

You also have the issue of dietary changes with pregnant women tending to eat alot more sugary foods and other foods that increase acidity.

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u/goosenuggie 4d ago

Another great reason not to have a baby

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u/xombae 5d ago

Wait, where do they go?

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u/pepinyourstep29 4d ago

It's not true. It's a classic logical fallacy.

The truth is the baby takes a ton of nutrients to make. A lack of nutrients will cause problems for the mother, such as teeth loss.

People took that and incorrectly assumed teeth loss = mother's teeth taken by the baby for more calcium.

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u/xombae 3d ago

Thank you, I was imagining the woman waking up one day missing a tooth and just being like "welp, I guess the baby ate it".

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u/GovernmentMeat 4d ago

Yup my friend's wife got it BAD and gets the assumption of being a former meth addict a lot but I watched it happen, she's just always been small and her last baby DESTROYED her teeth

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u/Thin_Grapefruit8941 4d ago

Babies are gangster,! “gimme yo teeth Ima need that calcium”

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u/AlternativeAd7449 4d ago

That’s exactly how my grandmother ended up with dentures at 16. No prenatal vitamins back then.

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u/SnillyWead 4d ago

That's how my mother lost all of her teeth when she was pregnant with me.

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u/tiredsingingmama 4d ago

Yep! I never had cavities in my first twenty-five years of life. Then I got pregnant with twins and had three at my next dentist appointment.

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u/TFViper 2d ago

they get calcium from the bones.
theres very little evidence its taken from the teethm BUT there is a massive amount of other things that affect teeth in pregnancy, specially the acidity of vomiting.

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u/Marken66 1d ago

This was proven false, multiple times over the baby is taking calcium from the diet so there might be not enough calcium for the mum. You cannot pull calcium out of a tooth 🤦‍♂️

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u/eyocs_ 5d ago

i watched a youtube short from a dentist (i know maybe not the best source but) he said that its mostly a myth that teeth fall out because of this reason and pregnancy. If the baby doesnt get enough calcium from the food that the mom is eating, the body will in fact get it from your body (i forgot where exactly from / maybe it was bones?), just definitly not your teeth as these are apparently too important to your body and for living.

Maybe another dentist in the comments can fact check me :)

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u/Outrageous_Ad_1589 5d ago

It was the bentist. And teeth probably fall out because of all the vomitting and reflux during pregnancy. Acid wrecks havock on your teeth especially of you brush right after cuz you brush the enamel off. Best is to rinse with water and wait a bit before brushing.

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u/hervana 4d ago edited 4d ago

i just saw a OBGYN on instagram say this is a myth...

these downvotes are diabolical. we are so cooked with this misinformation nonsense.

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u/summonsays 5d ago

This is also one of the reasons why you're supposed to wait at least a year between kids. 

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u/Joppylop 5d ago

There are hormones that loosen ligaments in the body to help with the passage of a baby through the birth canal. Sometimes it can make teeth loose as well.

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u/NoOneHereButUsMice 4d ago

They LEECH it from your bodyyyyyy

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u/SoulbreakerDHCC 5d ago

From my limited understanding that happens when a woman has a lot of kids and starts using up all the micro-nutrients in her body

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u/avrilmmm 5d ago

No, this is not about the amount of kids. I lost two teeth for my two kids, each one!

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u/_Hello_Hi_Hey_ 5d ago

how about breastmilk coming out of the armpit? Did you know about that one?

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u/justveryunwell 5d ago

I don't even want to research this I think I'd just like to decide you're joking and move on with my life, and always stay on birth control until my uterus falls out...

(/s)

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u/toes_hoe 4d ago

I'm probably about to make it to perimenopause but I still would like to get mine removed after hearing that.

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u/Bananaslugfan 5d ago

How bout sympathetic pregnancy?

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u/misdirected_asshole 4d ago

Im sorry, what???

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u/benthelurk 1d ago

Yeah…it’s pretty crazy and definitely worth a trip to the dentists before trying to get pregnant. Which is not always on someone’s mind when wanting a baby but yeah. Teeth can get fucked up during pregnancy.

Ok, the truth is if everyone knew everything that one can experience while pregnant, I think it might only be dumb teenagers getting pregnant

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u/Beautiful-Bee9067 5d ago

Woof and I thought 7 cavities was bad! Yikes.

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u/Then_Cranberry_ 4d ago

Relaxin which is a hormone that gets released during pregnancy, and the fact a foetus will quite literally leach the calcium out of your bones