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 often leads to a condition called hyperglycemia, which means that there is too much glucose / glucose in the blood.
The opposite of having too much sugar in your blood is having too little and that is called hypoglycemia.
Both conditions are regulated in healthy people by insulin and herein lies the diabetic’s difficulty – the body’s automatic production of insulin to control blood glucose levels. Both conditions will 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 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 strangely large, but also exposes the roots of the teeth to the air and food, causing sensitive teeth.
Therefore, diabetics should ensure that they make a special effort to visit their dentist at least twice a year, because periodontitis can cause the complete loss of one’s teeth.
The extra sugar in the blood provides extra food for germs, so they reproduce far more quickly than normal. This rapid build up of bacteria causes red, swollen gums.
One of the first signs of gum disease is frequent bleeding. If your gums start to bleed whilst 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 certain to lose all their teeth, but it does have to be noticed and treated early because there are several ways that a dentist can cope with the infection.
One of the best tactics is to control your blood sugar levels in the first instance. This has to be achieved in conjuction 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 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 means of avoiding the oral difficulties that diabetics can experience.
Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on a number of topics, and is now involved with 500 Delicious Diabetic Recipes. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Easy Diabetic Meals