Relationship Between: Diabetes and Periodontal Disease

Diabetes and Periodontal Disease: A Two-Way Street

Diabetes is a condition in which blood sugar levels get too high because the body doesn’t make or use insulin correctly. Insulin is a natural hormone that helps the body turn food into energy and manage its blood sugar levels. When diabetes isn’t well controlled, it can cause or worsen periodontal disease.

Understanding Periodontal Disease

Anyone can develop periodontal disease. It’s an infection that affects your mouth, damaging the gums, other soft tissues, and bones.

Over time, it can cause the gums to get red and swollen, bleed and recede, and develop persistent bad breath. Periodontal disease can also cause loose teeth, gaps between them, and problems with your bite and jaw alignment.

How Diabetes Makes Gum Disease Worse

People with diabetes have a higher risk of gum disease. Multiple factors contribute to the relationship between diabetes and periodontal disease, including:

• Diabetes causes blood vessels to thicken, reducing the flow of nutrients and inhibiting the removal of waste from tissues. This weakens tissues and bones, increasing the risk of infection.
• Diabetes increases blood glucose levels in mouth fluids, encouraging bacterial growth.
• Diabetes reduces saliva production, which reduces the mouth’s protection against bacteria.
• Diabetes inhibits healing, making it harder for mouth tissues and bones to recover from infections.

How Gum Disease Makes Diabetes Worse

Gum disease can worsen diabetes. The link between periodontal disease and diabetes involves a few factors, including:

• Bacteria from gum disease infections can leak into the bloodstream, causing a reaction that increases blood sugar levels.
• Gum disease causes inflammation in the gums, which elevates blood sugar.
• The body’s response to tissue and bone breakdown from gum disease can make it harder to control diabetes.

Lifestyle Tips To Help Your Oral Health with Diabetes

Actions on both sides of the diabetes/gum disease equation can reinforce one another to improve oral health and diabetes management. On the diabetes side, you should work with your doctor or diabetes specialist to ensure you continually manage your condition effectively.

To maintain good oral health, take these steps:

• Brush at least twice a day with a soft-bristle toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste.
• Brush gently, using small circular motions.
• Brush your tongue as part of your oral care routine.
• Floss daily, sliding the floss between the teeth and gently moving it from below the gumline to the top of each tooth multiple times before moving on to the next pair.
• Rinse after flossing.
• Get regular dental cleanings and checkups. Tell your dentist and hygienist that you have diabetes and are managing it.

Other tips include not using tobacco products (including smokeless tobacco), cleaning dentures, night guards, and other devices daily, and eating a healthy diet. Avoid scheduling non-emergency dental procedures when your diabetes isn’t well controlled.

Importance of Understanding Diabetes and Periodontal Disease

The link between periodontal disease and diabetes is important. If not properly managed, each condition can worsen the other.

Understanding how they affect one another empowers you to take actions that benefit both conditions. It’s also essential to work closely with your doctor or diabetes expert and dentist to ensure you get the care you need.