Diabetes and your Dental Health
If you have diabetes then you may already know that you need to be very protective of anything that can cause inflammation in your body.
The mouth is of particular importance for a diabetic patient.
Catch 22
Those that have trouble controlling blood sugar level are at high risk for gum disease and those that have gum disease are at high risk of uncontrollable blood sugar levels (Mark, 2016).
If you have poor blood sugar level control this can result in more inflammation in your body. Which, in turn can result in increased risk of gingivitis and periodontal disease. Inflammation in the mouth can causes gingivitis and periodontal disease. Red and bleeding gums, destruction of the bone, ligaments and structures of the mouth are all caused by inflammation.
Every individual gets plaque build up that can cause this inflammation. But patients with diabetes are at higher risk of this because of the well studied connection between blood sugar levels and gum disease. (Martin, 2018)(Mark, 2016)
What can you do about it?
Any patient with diabetes is advised to have regular hygiene and dental visits. Our clinic, as well as most in the dental and medical field recommend a dental cleaning every 3 months to help remove anything that could cause this increased inflammation.
Of course home care is also imperative to helping maintain optimal health. Brushing and flossing daily will help to remove this plaque and tartar causing inflammation. Finally, working with your Medical Doctor on controlling your blood sugar levels is of utmost importance.
Sources:
Martin, Laura. Diabetes and your Smile. Case Western U, school of Dental Medicine. <https://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/d/diabetes> accessed Nov 12th, 2018.
Mark, Anita. Diabetes and Oral Health. JADA 147(10). October, 2016. <https://jada.ada.org/article/S0002-8177(16)30610-9/pdf> accessed Nov 12th, 2018