Diabetics and dental health

This week I will be addressing the very important topic of diabetics and dental health. Diabetics require special care for their dental health, as they are more prone to periodontal diseases (infections that occur in the gums and bones). These do not enable their teeth to be anchored to the gums and might even result in tooth loss. A diabetic needs special care when compared to a non-diabetic person. Dental health is especially important to a diabetic patient, as lots of other health problems are linked to poor oral health.{{more}} A diabetic needs to pay special attention to dental healthcare. People who have periodontal problems such as gum diseases are also prone to having cardiovascular disorders. And going by the statistics, cardiac arrest and strokes are the major cause of death for diabetics.

Control sugar levels

If a diabetic is able to control their glucose levels at all times then they will have no greater risk of periodontal diseases.Diabetics will notice that dental infections due to neglect or improper oral hygiene will make it very difficult for them to maintain their sugar levels under control. This in turn will further aggravate their dental health concerns.

Brush and floss regularly

A diabetic patient must ensure that they brush and floss their teeth regularly and visit their dentist once every six months. This will ensure that if there is the slightest hint of plaque or tartar it will be cleaned to nip the problem in the bud. This will ensure that a diabetic patient in spite of their high risk factor is not actually at risk.

Unfortunately, a diabetic is more susceptible to periodontal infections due to the poorly controlled blood glucose levels. A diabetic patient creates the right kind of ground for the infections and germs to thrive. The different ways that they do this are:

1. The excessive fluids in their body for instance the saliva will be an ideal breeding ground for the bacteria to thrive and this in turn increases their plaque buildup on their teeth.

2. It is very common in a diabetic to notice thickening of blood vessels. This in turn makes the transportation of blood supply difficult and starves the body’s tissues of important nutrients. This increases chances of dental infections.

3. Diabetics lose collagen in the gum tissues. This further makes it easy for them to get infection.

In fact, it has been proven that dentistry for diabetics is a must. This focuses on their high blood sugar symptoms and does not let that combine with gum desease as this will enable them to lose control over the blood sugar which can prove to be a major health hazard.

Because the gum disease has an adverse effect on the blood sugar, dental health is all the more important for diabetics. Keep your gums and blood sugar levels constant, in fact both these endeavors should go hand in hand for a diabetic.

The way this happens is that as the bacteria accumulate beneath your teeth and gums the body’s immune system knows of them to be intruders and sends out cells to kill them. As more fighting occurs between the immune system and the bacteria the inflammation increases and this in turn makes the over use of the immune system make your body produce more insulin to use the glucose. Now, the tissues can’t get rid of so much of glucose and it remains in your bloodstream. This results in higher blood sugar readings.

When this goes on for a long time then the bacteria start to enter other parts of the body causing further harm to a diabetic.

Dr Keith John

email:drkeithjohn@gmail.com

Clinic: SVG Dental Corporation

Telephone: 784-456-2220

Cell: 784-526-0752