Most people wouldn’t make the connection between oral health and diabetes, but there is actually a lot of research linking the two. Individuals with diabetes are 2x more likely to develop gum disease and other oral health issues.
How Diabetes Affects Oral Health
Diabetes causes healing to slow and makes the body have a harder time fighting infection. Diabetes decreases the amount of saliva your body makes and increases the amount of sugar in your saliva. Without enough saliva and with too much sugar in it, diabetes creates an environment where infections and decay can flourish.
Other oral health problems common with diabetics include Burning Mouth Syndrome, dry mouth (xerostomia), thrush (a fungal disease that creates white patches in the mouth), and poor healing of oral tissues after dental procedures.
What to Do to Lower Your Oral Health Risks as a Diabetic
- Make sure your diabetes is controlled. Uncontrolled diabetes patients have a 2.9x higher risk of gum disease than patients without diabetes.
- Look out for early signs of gum disease: bleeding gums when you brush/floss, red or swollen gums, bad breath, gums that have pulled away from the tooth, loose permanent teeth.
- Have good dental hygiene. Brush twice a day, floss once a day.
- Visit your dentist for teeth cleanings every 6 months and tell them you have diabetes.
- Don’t smoke/quit smoking. Smoking diabetics have a 4.9x more risk of developing gum disease than those that don’t have diabetes.
If you are a diabetic and experiencing symptoms of gum disease, schedule an appointment with one of our experienced oral health experts today.