Plastic and pregnancy

[mamawanabe]

Very newly pregnant (after 6 months of trying!).  My plastic retainer for my teeth broke, and I just got a new one.  Even decades after braces, my teeth shift fast.  The ortho made a slight adjunstment and says I should wear the new one for 3 weeks straight (I had planned just to wear it two nights a week).  I am 4 weeks tomorrow - so really crucial development and worry about the leeching chemicals and phyto-estrogens.  During pregnancy #1, I wore them every night without thinking, and my son does have a small deformity that one doctor told me is now epidemic because, he believes, people are drinking water from plastic bottles and so getting hormonal imbalances from the phyto-estrogens.  I avoided all plastic bottles and plastic containers during my first pregnancy (and yet put the retainers in every night without thinking).

Thoughts?

Thanks!

[tropicofwinter]

Hi mama!  Congrats on your pregnancy.  I was using a polycarbonate britta pitcher to "purify" my drinking water during my pregnancy and I felt so contaminated when I realized that plastic is one of the harmful types.  Have you discussed your concerns with your dentist?  I ran a  brief google search and turned up that retainers can be made of acrylic or rubber in addition to plastic. Does your dentist know what type(s) of plastic each brand/design of retainer is composed of?  If you can find a retainer made of #4 or #5, I believe those to be the durable plastics with reduced toxicity. Avoid #3, #6 and polycarbonate (one type of #7) with all your might. I found an article mentioning dental wax to coat braces....could you get your whole retainer coated in dental wax?  If your dentist is not receptive, well, the industry really is financially invested in goods and services that are toxic/dangerous.  Not just the plastics, but dental fillings (you get a choice of mercury or BPA, yay!) and X-rays.  If all else fails, take a deep smell of your retainer when it first comes out of the box/wrapper.  Does it smell?  The nose knows.  Let it out-gas in a well ventilated place for a couple of days before you put it in.  It's your mouth, money and smile, so you get to be the boss here. Hope you are having a great first trimester