Those with chronic illnesses understand the struggle of frequent, disruptive symptoms that will impact multiple areas of your body. One of these diseases, diabetes, happens when the body lacks insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar. With high or low blood sugar, you can notice a functional decline in many organs, but you might not realize that this can affect your oral health as well.
Additionally, oral health problems, like gum disease, an infection in the gum tissue, can make it harder to manage chronic health conditions such as diabetes. To maintain good health, you need to pay attention to both of these contributing factors. You can consult a dentist or doctor to learn more. But you can also read on to find details about the connection between diabetes and gum disease.
Why Does Diabetes Increase My Risk for Gum Disease?
Diabetes’s effect on the blood will mean that you can experience an impact throughout the body thanks to this disease, including your mouth. People with diabetes can see an increase in glucose in their saliva, which encourages more build-up of bacteria on the teeth as a result. Excess bacteria can easily spread to the gums, heightening your risk for gum disease and other oral infections.
Gum disease often begins with inflammation of the gum tissue before it spreads to damage the teeth and jaw as well. The infection will not go away on its own. You will need to visit a dentist to eradicate this disease.
Ideally, you should avoid contracting this infection in the first place, so you should prioritize preventative periodontal care. This will mean addressing risk factors like diabetes that could put you in greater danger of gum damage.
How Does Gum Disease Make Diabetes Management More Difficult?
You know that diabetes can leave you more likely to contract gum disease, but the inverse is true too. Gum disease can make it more difficult to manage diabetes. This is because inflammation from diseased gums will trigger the body’s inflammatory response.
When this happens, the body will attempt to aid cells damaged by infection, which can worsen existing conditions like diabetes. Then you can see inflammation raising blood sugar and making diabetes symptoms more severe.
To avoid these diabetes complications, you should stave off gum disease by prioritizing your oral health. Avoid oral infections by practicing good oral hygiene. Brushing your teeth at least twice per day and flossing each day will remove harmful residues that would otherwise allow bacteria to spread easily through the mouth.
You can maximize oral hygiene by attending routine teeth cleanings. The dentist will also examine your gums for signs of infection and provide swift periodontal therapy if needed.
So make sure you stick to consistent and thorough oral health care to improve overall well-being. Talk to your dentist about your medical history to ensure you receive personalized dental services that can keep your unique smile as healthy as possible.