Gingivitis, Epistaxis, and Nasal Congestion (Nursing)

00:01 Alright, let's move on. We're going to talk about the mucus membranes and we're going to think about the effects and potential discomforts related to that.

00:09 So, gingivitis, epistaxis, and nasal congestion, they don't usually go together but in this case, they do because they all deal with mucus membranes.

00:18 And when can we expect it? Anytime.

00:21 Like pizza delivery, anytime of the day or night, we can have any of these symptoms.

00:26 And the physiology is going to be related to increased levels of estrogen.

00:31 Estrogen actually causes an increase of blood flow which is great because we have a baby that needs blood flow and that's perfect.

00:38 It's really bad when you have extra blood flow to our nasal cavities or to our gums or anything like that because if it's in your nose then it's actually going to cause congestion as the vessels swell with all of that blood which doesn't feel very good and makes you feel like you have a cold and sometimes, makes you sound funny.

00:58 When you brush your teeth that increased blood flow will make your gums susceptible to bleeding.

01:03 You may think you have gingivitis, but actually, you just have pregnancy.

01:07 Or, you could have nosebleeds and that could be also related to the increase in blood flow.

01:13 Now, we want to make sure that we tell the clients about this so that they can anticipate these things happening because it's not a good surprise to get.

01:22 Having a nosebleed when you've never had one is very scary.

01:25 Thinking that you're going and taking good care of your teeth and your gums are bleeding, that's scary.

01:31 So, make sure you talk to the clients about this so they know what to expect.

01:35 Be on the lookout, however, for potential dental issues because if it really is gingivitis, and there really is an infection, there are actually some types of bacteria that live in the mouth that have a link to preterm labor.

01:49 So, if there are really some dental issues going on, they need to see a dentist.

01:53 And also, we want to think about with nosebleeds, the correlation with hypertension, so thinking again about pre-eclampsia might be an issue, so we want to rule out those things.

02:04 It's less likely to be that but we definitely still want to rule it out.

02:08 So, what do we do? When we think about our gums, we want to use a soft toothbrush, not a time for a really hard scrub because we're just going to have more bleeding.

02:16 When we think about nasal congestion, having a humidifier and sometimes, buying a humidifier is not really in our budget, what works really well is one of those pie tins that's made out of metal and you sit it over the register and it actually helps to humidify the air. It works, too.

02:33 And then, just plain old reassurance that this is normal and it's okay and that no one is going to die from a nosebleed that's not caused by pre-eclampsia, that's just caused by normal pregnancy changes, that actually does help.

02:47 Sometimes, reassurance is really the best medicine.