Diabetes is one of the diseases that many people suffer from. Unfortunately, many of them are unaware of their illness, and this ignorance has a bad effect on the severity of the illness.
People with diabetes are more likely to develop oral and gum disease. Gum disease is 3 times more common in people with diabetes than in healthy people.
Diabetes can affect your entire body, and parts of the patient’s body, including the mouth, can be affected. Therefore, diabetic patients should take special care of their teeth and gums. For this reason, diabetic patients must take care of their mouth and teeth so that their disease does not cause oral diseases.
If you do not control your diabetes, you may develop oral diseases such as gum disease. If you have gum disease, it will be more difficult for you to control your blood sugar. Oral care will not only help you avoid gum disease and tooth decay but will also help control your diabetes. Oral health problems in some cases indicate the presence of diabetes.
The dentist must fully recognize the internal oral symptoms or the classic symptoms of diabetes in general.
Symptoms include:
- excessive thirst
- extreme hunger
- excessive urination with weight loss.
Periodontal treatments will have limited success if diabetes is undiagnosed or poorly controlled.
High blood sugar in uncontrolled diabetes is a good source of bacterial growth, which can cause tooth decay.
A dry mouth also leads to sores, infections, burning mouth and tooth decay.
Dental Problems and Diabetes
Symptoms of dental problems and diabetes:
Mouth
- Cracked mouth corners due to decreased salivation and dry mouth
- Tongue pain
- Redness around the mouth
- Fungal infection of the oral mucosa
- Congress of the place of the teeth next to the tongue
- The size of the tongue, their thickening, and grooving
- Changes in the oral microbiome, such as an increase in Candida albicans, which in turn causes the mouth corners to crack and cause thrush.
Tooth
- Loose teeth
- Wounds caused by artificial tooth stimulation in people whose diabetes isn’t control
- Toothache without tooth decay
- bad breath
- Increased tooth decay
- Increased sensitivity of teeth to impact
Gum
- Gum redness
- Gum bleeding
- Gum swelling
Four Steps to Protect Your Health
The same things that control diabetes also promote good oral health, such as:
- Having a healthy diet
- Do not smoke
- Timely and correct use of diabetes medications
- Visit a dentist regularly to prevent serious oral problems
Diabetes Warning Signs
Diabetes and Gum Disease
Gingivitis and periodontitis are inflammatory diseases of the gums. A person with periodontitis will eventually lose their teeth by losing the supporting bones of their teeth.
Poor control of diabetes is a very severe risk factor for periodontitis.
On the other hand, gingivitis and periodontitis are sometimes the first symptoms of diabetes. Severe periodontitis can lead to tooth loss. Proper oral health care is very important for diabetics, and regular dental checkups can help diagnose oral problems early in these patients. In gingivitis, the supporting structures of the teeth (alveolar bone and periodontal ligament) are damage. Anaerobic bacteria and sometimes viruses, along with risk factors such as smoking, diabetes and depression, create a condition that predisposes a person to gingivitis. The patient’s immune system’s anti-inflammatory response to bacteria causes tissue damage. This condition occurs in chronic gingivitis.
Mouthwash Use and Risk of Diabetes
We know that brushing your teeth is part of your daily oral care routine, but it is not permissible to use mouthwash more than twice a day.
Recent studies have shown that regular use of mouthwash can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in people who are already at higher risk for the disease.
Mouthwash contains compounds that reduce beneficial and non-beneficial bacteria together, which causes plaque in the mouth. Some of the beneficial bacteria that make up the cavities of our mouths help prevent diabetes.
People who used mouthwash at least twice a day were at higher risk of developing diabetes over a three-year follow-up period than those who did not.
Oral Health Action Plan With Diabetes
People with diabetes are more prone to oral problems than others and should take care of their oral health. Here are some tips:
- Control your blood sugar as much as possible. If diabetes is well controlled, oral problems will not occur, the risk of dry mouth, gum disease, tooth loss, and fungal infections such as thrush will increase. Because infection will raise blood sugar, diabetes is harder to control.
- People with diabetes need to take more care of their teeth. Preventing and treating periodontitis with regular dental cleanings can help improve blood sugar control. For this reason, they should brush their teeth twice a day for 1-2 minutes each time and floss their teeth to reduce the risk of gingivitis. Using mouthwashes will also be helpful.
- See your dentist for regular checkups
Diabetes is prone to oral infections. So every six months, the dentist should check their mouth and teeth. Tell your dentist about your diabetes and the medications you are taking. Ask her to teach you how to take care of your teeth and gums. Ask your doctor about checking your blood sugar, and ask him or her to talk to your dentist about your condition, Before treating your gum disease. If surgery is needed, he or she will advise you on whether to take antibiotics before surgery. Your blood sugar should be monitored before, during, and after surgery. - Provide your dentist with your doctor’s name and phone number so he or she can contact you if necessary.
- Give your dentist a list of your medications and their dosage. In this case, his prescribed drug will not interfere with your previous treatments.
- If your blood sugar is not well controlled, postpone unnecessary dental treatment to control your blood sugar.
- In people with diabetes, healing a wound usually takes longer. So be sure to follow the recommendations after surgery.
- People with diabetes who have orthodontic wires should be careful to see a dentist immediately if the wire causes sores on their tongue or mouth.
- Talk to your dentist if you suffer from a dry mouth. He or she may prescribe some medications or saliva substitutes for you. Fluoride mouthwashes, sugar-free gums, and sugar-free peppermint pills will also work well. Drinking regular sips of water and pieces of crushed ice can also work well. Limit caffeine usage.
- If you have dentures, take good care of them. Loose or very stiff dentures irritate the gums and increase the chance of infection. Diabetes puts you at greater risk for virulence, so brush your dentures and clean them every day.
- Do not smoke. Smoking is Harmful to everyone, but if someone has diabetes, there are 20 times more likely to get gum disease and thrush.
One Response
It was very helpful, I think I’m gonna get a test diabetes this friday.