Diabetes Awareness – A Reminder About the Oral Health Connection

In our website blog, we’ve often discussed various aspects of diabetes and its relationship to your oral health. Individuals with diabetes are more likely to also have gum disease, and gum (periodontal) disease can cause inflammation, which makes blood sugar increase, making diabetes even harder to control. We’ve even written about this important topic as online guest authors.

As last month was Diabetes Awareness Month, we want to continue to remind patients of the diabetes/gum disease link, with data we’ve pulled from sources like National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

• Unmanaged diabetes weakens white blood cells, which are needed to fight bacteria in the mouth
• Gum disease is the most serious mouth problem related to diabetes
• For every 1% increase in hemoglobin AIC level, the odds of having severe gum disease (periodontitis) increases by 18%
• If you already have gum disease, high levels of blood glucose increase your risk that gum disease will progress from mild to more severe stages
• High blood glucose can increase your risk for problems after oral surgery, like making it take longer for your mouth to heal
• Gum disease can affect insulin sensitivity
• People with diabetes who also smoke are up to 20x more likely than non-smokers to develop severe gum disease

Oral Health Tips for Diabetics

It’s clear that if you have diabetes, you may be more susceptible to oral health issues. Being aware of this link and working hard to manage your diabetes can also help you smile more confidently and healthily. Consider:

• If you have diabetes, seeing your medical specialist prior to gum disease treatment and discussing your overall health to see if you might need to change medications or dosages
• Making sure you bring your dental specialist a complete list of medications
• Keeping in mind that healing might take longer
• Carefully following your dental specialist’s post-treatment instructions
• Treating gum disease as early as possible to help decease the progression of the disease
• Avoiding tobacco products, incorporating exercise into your life and eating healthier
• Brushing and flossing as directed

We recognize that managing diabetes can be challenging. If you have diabetes, or if you have gum disease and are concerned about diabetes, or have diabetes and think you may be experiencing early stages of gum disease, talk to your dental specialist at South Florida Center for Periodontics & Implant Dentistry to create an effective plan to address your oral and overall health. We’re here to help!