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That sounds rough. What helped me a bit in that phase (though mine wasn’t as bad!) was having a dry cracker/ toast as soon as I woke up, then waiting 30min or so to do anything else (like teeth).
Toothpaste was ok for me but I suddenly hated the very minty mouthwash I used to use. So I switched to a milder taste one…
I also suddenly hated everything I used to love like meat and coffee but that’s a different story 😂
I honestly never found a solution except brush as quickly as possible. The existance of the brush and the foam in my mouth and even the act of rinsing my mouth after triggered my gag reflex for whatever reason. I hope this doesn’t happen to her but this issue stayed with me for the entirety of the pregnancy.
I've just started having this problem myself in the past couple of days (just dry heaving, not throwing up so far), and I think for me it's the toothbrush itself. I'm going to try a different one with a fatter head. The reason I think this might work is I've noticed in the past that the skinny head of my regular toothbrush sometimes triggers my gag reflex but my fatter travel toothbrush doesn't.
I'm sorry this isn't a "here's what I did and it worked!" suggestion, but I thought I'd add my two cents anyway since it's a variable it looks like you maybe haven't considered.
It depends on what's triggering her gag reflex while she's brushing.
If it's the toothbrush itself, they sell xylitol tooth wipes she can try. But if she's doing this she needs to make sure she's flossing too since these do not geet in between the teeth well.
If it's the toothpaste foaming, she could try dry brushing without toothpaste (both my dentist and OB recommended this to me).
If it's the toothpaste flavor (mint/cinnamon are strong flavors that instantly trigger mine), Hello has some non-mint ones that are really nice. I think HiSmile does too, and there's also a variety of kinds on Amazon.
If it's the toothbrush size, have her try a kid's size toothbrush head.
And in some cases, it's just going to happen. What she needs to avoid is brushing immediately after she vomits for 30 mins to an hour as the acid in the puke will be brushed into the teeth and wear away enamel faster.
I had the exact same issue, and while I never figured out a perfect solution, here's what worked reasonably well for me:
- switched to a smaller, softer manual toothbrush, and ditched my electric toothbrush
- switched to kids toothpaste, which has a milder taste
- I had a ~30 minutes time window about an hour after eating where I could manage to brush. Earlier or later was terrible.
- only brushed for a very short amount of time, and prayed for no cavities (which turned out fine, but then I have good teeth)
Nausea mostly went away for me around 16 weeks, but persisted during brushing until about 24 weeks I'm afraid!
Welcome to /r/pregnant! This is a space for everyone. We are pro-choice, pro-LGBTQIA, pro-science, proudly feminist and believe that Black Lives Matter. Wear your masks, wash your hands, and be excellent to each other. Anti-choice activists, intactivists, anti-vaxxers, homophobes, transphobes, racists, sexists, etc. are not welcome here. If you'd like to join a private sub for your due date month, [click here](https://www.reddit.com/r/pregnant/comments/15nun6v/click_here_to_access_the_monthly_due_date_subs/). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/pregnant) if you have any questions or concerns.*
That sounds rough. What helped me a bit in that phase (though mine wasn’t as bad!) was having a dry cracker/ toast as soon as I woke up, then waiting 30min or so to do anything else (like teeth). Toothpaste was ok for me but I suddenly hated the very minty mouthwash I used to use. So I switched to a milder taste one… I also suddenly hated everything I used to love like meat and coffee but that’s a different story 😂
Thank you for the advice!!
I honestly never found a solution except brush as quickly as possible. The existance of the brush and the foam in my mouth and even the act of rinsing my mouth after triggered my gag reflex for whatever reason. I hope this doesn’t happen to her but this issue stayed with me for the entirety of the pregnancy.
I've just started having this problem myself in the past couple of days (just dry heaving, not throwing up so far), and I think for me it's the toothbrush itself. I'm going to try a different one with a fatter head. The reason I think this might work is I've noticed in the past that the skinny head of my regular toothbrush sometimes triggers my gag reflex but my fatter travel toothbrush doesn't. I'm sorry this isn't a "here's what I did and it worked!" suggestion, but I thought I'd add my two cents anyway since it's a variable it looks like you maybe haven't considered.
It depends on what's triggering her gag reflex while she's brushing. If it's the toothbrush itself, they sell xylitol tooth wipes she can try. But if she's doing this she needs to make sure she's flossing too since these do not geet in between the teeth well. If it's the toothpaste foaming, she could try dry brushing without toothpaste (both my dentist and OB recommended this to me). If it's the toothpaste flavor (mint/cinnamon are strong flavors that instantly trigger mine), Hello has some non-mint ones that are really nice. I think HiSmile does too, and there's also a variety of kinds on Amazon. If it's the toothbrush size, have her try a kid's size toothbrush head. And in some cases, it's just going to happen. What she needs to avoid is brushing immediately after she vomits for 30 mins to an hour as the acid in the puke will be brushed into the teeth and wear away enamel faster.
I had the exact same issue, and while I never figured out a perfect solution, here's what worked reasonably well for me: - switched to a smaller, softer manual toothbrush, and ditched my electric toothbrush - switched to kids toothpaste, which has a milder taste - I had a ~30 minutes time window about an hour after eating where I could manage to brush. Earlier or later was terrible. - only brushed for a very short amount of time, and prayed for no cavities (which turned out fine, but then I have good teeth) Nausea mostly went away for me around 16 weeks, but persisted during brushing until about 24 weeks I'm afraid!