Diabetes can have different adverse effects on sufferers’ health and one of those bad-effects is dental quality. Diabetics have a difficulty dealing with sugars, which frequently leads to a condition known as hyperglycemia, which means that there is too much sugar / glucose 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 regulated 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 circumstances can have grave 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 part 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 disease.
The diabetic is more prone 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 unusually 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 particular effort to visit their dentist at least twice a year. Periodontitis can cause the complete loss of one’s teeth.
The extra sugar in the blood provides extra food for germs, so they reproduce much more quickly than normal. This rapid build up of bacteria produces red, swollen gums.
One of the first indications of gum disease is frequent bleeding. If your gums begin to bleed while 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 developing periodontitis and so losing all their teeth, if it is left untreated.
Diabetics who have periodontitis are not condemned to lose all their teeth, but it does have to be noticed and treated early because there are several ways that a dentist can deal with the infection.
One of the best tactics is to control your blood sugar levels in the first case. This has to be achieved in conjuction with your medical doctor, but it will usually include proper dieting, exercise and taking insulin or a surrogate. Not smoking and maintaining your correct weight are also crucial.
Not all diabetics have to take insulin. There is much more understood concerning diabetes, diet, exercise and their interaction these days. Some diabetics can avoid taking insulin and all the side effects that that would normally entail by not eating sugary or starchy food.
The same effect can be had by consuming low-calorie meals frequently during the day instead of two or three substantial meals and by monitoring your blood-sugar levels.
This is the best way of avoiding the dental hardship that diabetics may experience.
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a number of subjects, and is now involved with 500 Delicious Diabetic Recipes. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Easy Diabetic Meals