November is National Diabetes Month. But why are you hearing about this on an oral health blog? Well, all issues within the body are, in many ways, intrinsically linked. Something that happens in your stomach may very well cause side effects for your mental health. But there is a special link between unmanaged diabetes and negative oral health.
Brushing and flossing your teeth at home and having them professionally cleaned regularly are important parts of oral care. But if you’re suffering from unmanaged diabetes, you’re likely to still see problems show up in your mouth, even if you’re going by the book when it comes to your teeth. We’ll tell you which you’re likely to see and why.
Downtown Dental Studio is a holistic office that considers the entire body, not just the mouth. Fadi Beydoun, DMD, MS, Alexander Kimon, DMD, and Karina Zaygermakher, DMD, work tirelessly to ensure our patients receive the best information so they can live long, happy lives with plenty to smile about.
Having diabetes means you require medicine to manage the level of sugar in your blood. Some people with diabetes are diligent about taking their medication, avoiding smoking, and eating healthy foods, but it can be difficult to stay consistent with these things. As such, it can be common to live with diabetes that isn’t well managed.
When this is the case, your likelihood of developing certain oral health problems increases. Higher blood sugar in the body means increased sugar in the saliva, too. Diabetes also weakens your ability to fight off infections, with consequences often seen first in oral health. In addition, oral health problems can raise blood sugar levels, creating a circular effect.
As previously stated, people with diabetes might potentially have higher levels of glucose or sugar in their saliva. This can lead to plaque building up more quickly than in the mouths of non-diabetic individuals. The problem can be managed by brushing your teeth regularly and seeing your provider for checkups, but without this, it can lead to serious side effects.
While bacteria are present in everyone's mouth, people with unmanaged diabetes may not respond well to them. Their inflammatory response is usually stronger and, coupled with the aforementioned difficulty with fighting infection, this could lead to problems for the tissue that supports your teeth, causing them to loosen.
Gingivitis is one of the most common causes of oral health problems, and sadly, it's even more common in those living with diabetes. People who aren't properly caring for their condition can experience all the problems already mentioned, which makes this type of inflammation even more likely. It can also easily become periodontitis, which is very harmful.
People with diabetes do have more sugar in their saliva, but they're also more prone to dry mouth. When this occurs, the mouth doesn't produce the proper amount of saliva, making it more likely that food debris and other irritants will remain attached to the teeth and gums rather than being flushed away. Dry mouth is also uncomfortable and causes bad breath.
Thrush is a fungal infection of the mouth. When it occurs, white patches appear on the tongue and the insides of the cheeks, which can be very painful. The high levels of sugar in the saliva of people with diabetes can make the fungus more likely to grow, which can lead to thrush. The issue can be treated with antifungal medication, but it isn't pleasant.
These two actions go hand-in-hand. You need to manage both to stay healthy and avoid the effects listed above. If you have diabetes, make sure you take extra care of your mouth and that you manage your condition with medication and healthy habits as well. Remember, nothing in your body exists in a vacuum.
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