If you have diabetes, you probably know that you’re at increased risk for gum disease. But if you don’t, did you know that by preventing gum disease, you can also lower your risk for developing diabetes? November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, and in honor of it, we at All Coast Dental want our patients to know more about the relationship between diabetes and gingivitis, and why daily oral hygiene is so important to your overall health.
People with uncontrolled diabetes are generally at greater risk for developing infections. Gum disease is an infection of the gum pockets, which become inflamed in response to the acid produced by bacteria’s respiratory process. A diabetic person’s immune system is less able to fight off the infection, and the cellular damage caused by unprocessed sugars in the bloodstream makes the gum tissue more prone to bleeding. The increased sugar in a diabetic person’s saliva would also provide more nourishment to oral bacteria, although lack of saliva would deprive the teeth of their protection against acid. There is also emerging evidence that the damage caused to gum tissue by bacterial acid inhibits the body’s ability to process sugars and disrupts its immune response, forming a vicious circle between the two diseases.
Keeping the gum pockets clear of food debris is essential for everybody’s health, but especially that of people who have difficulty controlling their blood sugar levels. Everybody should brush their teeth twice a day and floss at least once. It’s also especially important for people on medication to prevent dry mouth. They may use an artificial throat moisturizer, or try producing more saliva by chewing sugarfree gum. But regularly drinking unsweetened water throughout the day is also an important means of removing food debris and bacterial acid, and can also combat the bad breath gum disease sometimes causes.
Drs. Julie and Joseph Boulos operate All Coast Dental at 2180 Garnet Ave, Suite 1-K, Pacific Beach, California, 92109. To schedule an appointment, call 858-270-4904 or visit All Coast Dental and fill out a contact sheet.