It’s been estimated by the American Diabetes Association that nearly 30 million U.S. children and adults have diabetes, with over 8 million more that have gone undiagnosed. Diabetes negatively impacts your body’s ability to convert sugar from your food into energy. In milder cases, production of the hormone that moves that energy to your cells (insulin) is greatly reduced. In more extreme cases, the body doesn’t respond to the insulin. As a result of either case, blood sugar levels sky rocket and leave your body vulnerable tissue and organ damage from a lack of blood supply.
How Does Diabetes Specifically Affect the Mouth?
Poorly controlled or uncontrollable blood glucose levels can result in serious gum and jaw bone damage. With a lack of blood supply to your mouth, your white blood cells can over compensate with inflammation to your gums (gingivitis). Fungal infections in the tissue of the cheek or tongue (thrush) can also flair up in reaction to drastic blood sugar changes. Dry mouth and tooth decay are also common in diabetics because saliva production is reduced in correspondence to high blood sugar levels. Dry mouth can further damage the mouth and risk additional complications in the oral cavity.
With all these possibilities, it’s not surprising that there have been studies that link the development of serious gum disease and tooth loss in diabetics. A 2012 study done by Delta Dental found that the connection works both ways. Diabetic insulin issues can cause all these problems, but in turn, they can attribute to prediabetes and further complicate the body’s insulin malfunctions. Gum disease works as all infections, making blood sugar rise and making diabetics more difficult to regulate.
Your Dentist Can Help
In addition to insulin therapy and suggestions from a doctor, your dentist can be a part of your diabetes control plan. As soon as you are diagnosed with prediabetes or a type of the disease, you should notify your dentist. The same is true if you go to a new dentist. By informing them of this health issue, they can keep a special eye out for the specific oral problems during your bi-annual dentist visits and advise you on how to improve your oral routine to prevent them. Performing oral hygiene maintenance and undergoing professional cleanings can help to lower your HbA1c tests. (Source: MouthHealthy)
Additionally, they can help you with any damage that has already occurred such as tooth loss or periodontal pockets (spaces between teeth and gums that can lead to periodontal disease.) Lastly, they can encourage you and offer support and options to quit smoking or using tobacco products. By giving up your nicotine habit, a significant reduction in blood sugar levels is all but guaranteed. Chemistry Professor Xiao-Chuan Liu of California State Polytechnic University found that nicotine raised levels of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) by up to 34%. (Source: The Times)
We Want to Help You Overcome Diabetes
Diabetes is a serious health issue in itself, but poor oral care can complicate and compromise your health even more. Taking care of your mouth is a major way to combat diabetes and help your smile. By regularly brushing and flossing teeth you keep gingivitis and plaque at bay and give your body one less thing to fight. Additionally, regular dental visits can offer you some resistance to gum and periodontal disease, which can make blood sugar levels spike. If you’re looking for a dentist, please consider the friendly staff and expertise of Josey Lane Dentistry We’ll help you maintain control of your blood sugar levels and prevent the oral problems associated with it.
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