Dental Complications Of Diabetes

• Dental Health • • Diabetes • Jun 03, 10

Diabetes can have various adverse effects on sufferers’ health and one of those ill-effects is dental quality. Diabetics have a problem processing sugars, which often leads to a condition called hyperglycemia, which means that there is too much sugar in the blood. The opposite of having too much sugar in your blood is having too little and that is called hypoglycemia.

Both circumstances are governed in healthy people by insulin and herein lies the diabetic’s problem - the body’s automatic production of insulin to regulate blood sugar levels. Both conditions can have serious consequences. Too much sugar in the blood can lead to issues with the kidneys, the heart, the eyes and others, while too little sugar in the blood can cause fits and black-outs.

Tooth and gum disease is normal as are any other health problems. Factors that play a role in tooth and gum disease are age, heredity, smoking and oral hygiene, but the diabetic who is often hyperglycemic has a higher probability of developing dental sickness.

The diabetic is more susceptible to infection of any kind and one of the most common is periodontitis, which affects the teeth, the jaw bones and the gums. One of the visible symptoms of periodontitis is receding gums, which makes the teeth look curiously large, but also exposes the roots of the teeth to the air and food, causing sensitive teeth. Therefore, diabetics must ensure that they make a special effort to visit their dentist at least twice a year.

Periodontitis can result in the complete loss of one’s teeth. The superfluous sugar in the blood supplies extra food for germs, so they reproduce much more quickly than normal. This rapid build up of bacteria causes red, swollen gums. One of the first signs of gum disease is frequently bleeding. If your gums begin to bleed when you brush your teeth, book an early appointment with your dentist.

Diabetics, along with those who have an impaired immune system, run a much higher risk of contracting periodontitis and so losing all their teeth, if it is left untreated. Diabetics with periodontitis are not condemned to lose all their teeth, but it does have to be noticed and treated early because there are various ways that a dentist can treat the disease.

One of the best tactics is to control your blood sugar levels in the first place. This has to be accomplished in consultation with your doctor, but it will usually include correct dieting, exercise and taking insulin or a surrogate. Not smoking and maintaining your correct weight are also imperative.

Not all diabetics have to take insulin. There is much more understood about diabetes, diet, exercise and their inter-relationship these days. Some diabetics can circumvent taking insulin and all the side effects that that would normally involve by not eating sugary or starchy food, by eating low-calorie meals often during the day instead of at two or three large meals and by checking blood-sugar levels. This is the best method of avoiding the dental complications that diabetics can experience.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article writes on a number of subjects, but is currently involved with investigating teeth whitening costs. If you would like to know more or check out great offers, please go to our website at Opalescence Tooth Whitening Systems

—-
More by Owen J.