Diabetes, as one of the most common chronic health conditions, can severely compromise your oral health. It can lead to severe oral conditions such as dry mouth (xerostomia), periodontal diseases and various infections. Although it is important to work with your doctor to closely monitor the condition, negligence of your oral health can also upset the diabetic level and put your effort of being healthy into waste.
Uncontrolled diabetes can make the prevention and management of oral diseases challenging. Having sufficient saliva is highly beneficial since it contains nutrients for the teeth and the gums, and it is antibacterial to prevent oral diseases. However, while diabetes can impact the production and quality of your saliva, it can also compromise your healing ability and increase your susceptibility to infection after any treatment.
There are a few ways to minimize the risks of diabetes to your oral health:
- Visit your doctor regularly to monitor and blood glucose level
- Control your blood glucose level via medication(s)
- Control your body weight via diet and regular exercising
- Attend regular dental examinations to detect problems earlier and dental cleans to remove all plaque and calculus
- Maintain a good oral hygiene including brushing and interdental cleaning e.g. flossing and the use of interdental brushes
From the previous article, we learnt that prevention is better than treatment. Although diabetes can increase the risk of oral diseases, we can work together to minimize the effect of diabetes on your oral health by prevention and early intervention. It is, however, vital to maintain your blood glucose level within the normal range to avoid other potential medical complications.