Diabetes patients are at risk for oral diseases

November 14th is the World Diabetes Day. Even though diabetes mellitus is an insidious disease, it can be controlled, thus protecting body from painful consequences. In addition to all the daily health promotion measures and treatments applied, diabetes patients should take exceptional care of their oral cavity, because hard plaque is more likely to accumulate. As you know, tartar is the straight path to a periodontal disease. Periodontitis is one of the most common causes of tooth loss, and people with diabetes develop relatively severe forms of it. How to maintain a healthy and beautiful smile with diabetes?

Oral hygiene for diabetes patients

Let’s start with the essential message: people with diabetes can really have a healthy oral cavity, if they pay enough attention to it. The most important thing is not to wait for signs of periodontal disease, such as red, swollen, bleeding gums, dental tartar or tooth loss. These unpleasant signals will not develop, if you take targeted actions from this moment on.

1. Perform regular dental cleaning procedures - daily and professional.
2. Eat healthy
3. Give up harmful habits (a smoking person with diabetes has reduced amount of saliva in the mouth).
4. Inform a dentist about Your condition before dental procedures.
5. Before dental surgery, try to lower Your blood sugar level to minimize the chance of infection.

Treatment of periodontal diseases

First of all, if You notice any signs of periodontal disease, it is necessary to see Your dentist immediately. Timely treatment of periodontitis will help to prevent tooth loss. How periodontitis will be treated depends on its form: if the disease is not advanced, professional oral hygiene may be sufficient, but in more complex cases - operative treatment may required, when hard plaque is removed from deep beneath gums surgically. Sometimes medication may be needed.

But what if the care is taken too late and Your teeth can no longer be saved? In fact, this scenario is not as hopeless as it may seem. Lost teeth can be successfully restored with the help of dental implants. Patients who have already undergone treatment with implants, are happy that they do not feel any difference between natural teeth and prostheses on implants. Of course, joy must go hand in hand with responsibility: in order for new teeth to serve perfectly for lifetime, it is important not to repeat the mistakes of the past and to ensure that they are carefully cared for.

Take control of Your life into Your own hands, so You can enjoy every single day of it. Diabetes is not a verdict for dental and gum diseases, but only an increased risk of their occurrence. Follow Your doctor's recommendations, see Your dentist regularly, and You will avoid any negative consequences for Your oral health.