The Diabetes and Oral Health Connection: Understanding the Relationship between the Two
Diabetes impacts your body’s ability to use blood sugar or glucose for energy. Diabetes causes many complications, including nerve damage, heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, and blindness. Gum disease is another complication affecting people with diabetes, besides other oral problems.
The American Diabetes Association confirmed people with diabetes are more prone to gingivitis, gum disease, and periodontitis because diabetes impacts your ability to combat the bacteria responsible for infections of the gums. Periodontal disease also affects connected also affects the blood sugar control of the body.
The increased risks of thrush are also associated with diabetes. In addition, people with diabetes are often affected by xerostomia or dry mouth because of an increased risk of mouth ulcers, soreness, cavities, and tooth infections.
How Diabetes Affects Your Oral Health: a Comprehensive Guide
The Journal of BMC oral health published a study examining 125 people with type II diabetes. The researchers concluded various factors like missing teeth and periodontal bleeding and how many people reported the bleeding.
The study concluded that the longer people had diabetes, the higher their fasting sugar levels and hemoglobin, which measured the patient’s blood sugar over a quarter, the more likely they would have gum disease and dental bleeding. Patients not reporting careful self-management of their condition reported missing teeth than patients working with healthcare professionals to manage blood sugar.
Many people with diabetes are at a higher risk of oral health problems, especially if they don’t maintain excellent control over their blood sugar because it makes them vulnerable to periodontal disease. Smokers are also at a higher risk of oral health concerns than people with diabetes who do not smoke.
The National Institutes of Health confirms over 400 medications can cause xerostomia or dry mouth. The medications include drugs used to treat nerve pain or neuropathy, making it essential to ask your pharmacist if the medicines can increase the risk of dry mouth. A dentist near me can prescribe oral rinses to reduce dry mouth symptoms if required. Sugar-free lozenges also help ease dry mouth without prescriptions and are available from most drugstores.
Gum disease associated with diabetes does not cause symptoms like it never does for people without diabetes. Therefore it is essential to keep your regular dental appointments with general dentistry in Stockton if you experience symptoms like bleeding gums when brushing and flossing, changes in the fitting of your teeth, chronic bad breath, gum recession making your teeth appear longer, permanent teeth starting to feel loose, and reddish swollen gums.
The Importance of Regular Dental Checkups for People with Diabetes
People with diabetes must ensure they receive regular dental checkups and maintain optimal control over their sugar levels. They must also care for their teeth by daily brushing, flossing, and routine appointments with dentists, besides asking the professionals if they need more frequent visits than the suggested twice-yearly meetings.
People with diabetes must check their mouths every month, looking for abnormalities. It includes looking for areas with dry or white patches in the mouth and bleeding because they are also concerning.
Diabetic patients scheduling dental procedures without their blood sugar remaining under control will need to postpone the treatment unless it is an emergency. This is because the risk of postoperative complications increases with excessive blood sugar levels.
What Can People with Diabetes Do Maintain Good Oral Health
Treatments for oral health issues associated with diabetes depend on the severity of the problem and its condition. For example, periodontal disease is treated with scaling and root planing, a deep cleaning method to remove hardened tartar from above or beneath the gum line. In addition, the Stockton dental office prescribes antibiotic treatment for people with diabetes to prevent the infection from spreading. People with advanced gum disease rarely need surgery to prevent tooth loss.
Conclusion
If you care for your teeth and gums and maintain tight diabetes control, it helps you keep healthy teeth and gums. However, you must also visit your dentist frequently, disclosing your diabetes and explaining the symptoms you experience and the medications you take. The information helps your dentist to provide the most effective treatments for diabetes and your dental health.
People with diabetes must care for their teeth and gums to ensure they don’t become vulnerable to severe dental complications resulting in tooth loss. Therefore they must maintain control over their blood sugar levels and visit dentists frequently to receive treatments for minor or significant issues that might develop in their mouths without warning.
Diabetes and your oral health are associated, especially if you don’t maintain blood sugar levels under control and care for your oral health as suggested by your dentist. If you are affected by this systemic disease and need more information on caring for your oral health, kindly schedule an appointment with Quail Lakes Dental Care to receive appropriate advice or treatments for your condition to prevent severe complications.