Women have a unique system of health due to the different ways that hormones function in the female body. This makes women much more susceptible to diseases than men, including oral health diseases. These hormones can affect the response that a woman's body has to the build up of plaque on her teeth as well as how much blood reaches the gums. Women are also more susceptible to various forms of gum disease than men due to their unique hormone challenges.
But specifically there are a few stages of a woman's life where she is even more susceptible to disease than usual, because of the hormonal changes she experiences during these times. Women often experience an increased sensitivity to oral health difficulties during puberty, when using birth control, during her monthly cycle, during pregnancy, and during menopause
Many young girls often experience oral health complications during puberty. This happens because girls going through puberty experience a large increase in the hormones estrogen and progesterone. The release of these hormones can increase blood flow in the body, including the blood flow to the gums and mouth. These hormones also affect the body's reaction to plaque. The gums will be more likely to bleed from the presence of plaque during brushing. They will also likely become swollen, tender, and sore.
Progesterone, as we said, is released when girls go through puberty. It is also released in women who are using birth control pills because the hormone is contained in the pills. Like in puberty, the body will have an overreaction to the plaque in the mouth because of the progesterone. It is always important for female patients to tell all their doctors, including dentists, and even other doctors like eye specialists if they are taking oral birth control. These pills can have different effects on a woman's health even if she doesn't realize it.