What Every Diabetic Needs to Know

Do you, or does someone you love, have Diabetes?  If so, you should read this article because you should know how impactful it is to your oral health—and how your oral health affects your Diabetes.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), DM has been increasing worldwide so abruptly that it is declared as an epidemic. The prevalence of Diabetes for all age groups in the United States is nearly ten percent!

Why Diabetes Affects your Oral Health

Diabetes is one of the diseases that is systemic, meaning that it affects the entire body.  Most people know that it can cause loss of vision, nerve damage, and reduction in blood flow and increases in infection that can result in amputations.  

Because it affects the entire body, Diabetes affects your oral health in several ways.  Among these are:

• Inadequate saliva flow and composition

• High numbers of cavity-causing bacteria (which feed off high glucose levels)

• Elevated plaque and calculus levels

• Blood-flow deficiencies

• A lowering of pH levels in the mouth

• A weakened immune system

How Diabetes Affects your Oral Health

Because of these factors, compared to healthy people, patients with DM are liable to have:

• Higher presence of (and more severe) cavities

• Gum diseases including deep bacteria-collecting pockets

• Dry mouth

• Burning mouth syndrome

• Impaired or slower healing

• Increased severity and frequency of infections

• Fungal infections

• Salivary gland enlargement

• Bone loss

• Tooth Loss

Many studies have also shown that the bacteria related to gum diseases, if left untreated, will travel through your body and cause a worsening of your Diabetes, with a vicious spiraling effect.

What You Can Do

Now for the good news: even with diabetes, good oral health is within reach. Even better: keeping your teeth and gums healthy will also make the diabetes easier to manage.  Make sure to brush twice a day for two minutes with a soft-bristled brush and fluoride toothpaste, floss daily or use a water flosser or interdental brush, use a non-alcoholic mouthwash, and don’t smoke. Carefully regulating your sugar intake is a major factor as well.

The Dentist’s Role

If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, the standard two dental exams per year may not be enough. To stay on the safe side, we recommend that you increase the number of yearly visits to three or four. It is also crucial for us to know how you and your doctor are working together to get it under control. Likewise, your doctor needs to know how we are working with you to keep your teeth and gums healthy.

If you ignore your oral health when you have diabetes, not only will you have major issues with your mouth, you may even increase the severity of your Diabetes—and decrease your quality of life, and even your lifespan.  

Let us help you win the fight for your dental health!

Keep smiling,

Dr. Elzbieta W. Basil, DMD is a private practice dentist with offices in West Hartford Center and Downtown New Britain, Connecticut.  She is a Clinical Instructor at the UConn School of Dental Medicine, and has won several awards naming her regional “Best Dentist” and “Top Dentist.” She is an active member of the Connecticut State Dental Association and the American Dental Association. Tel: 860-561-2121