5 dental problems associated with diabetes

When it comes to diabetes, most people are familiar with it. It is a common and frequent chronic disease.

According to statistics from the World Health Organization, there are more than 100 complications of diabetes, including blood pressure, eye complications, kidney complications, etc. It is the disease with the most known complications.

But few people know about another complication of diabetes - periodontal disease.

Periodontal disease is the ultimate culprit that causes tooth loss in humans.

In order to help more diabetics deal with the threats posed by diabetes to the oral cavity with a better attitude and scientific approach, today I will share with you some knowledge about oral protection for diabetes.

1. Why does diabetes affect the oral cavity? First, long-term high blood sugar increases the glucose concentration in saliva and gingival crevicular fluid, thus providing rich nutrition for the bacteria under the gums.

At the same time, the low immunity of diabetic patients reduces their ability to eliminate bacteria, which gives bacteria an opportunity to cause trouble. Bacteria constantly attack the gums, making the gums more fragile. Therefore, tooth loss is more common and occurs earlier in diabetic patients than in normal people.

2. Six common dental problems in diabetics 1. Tartar Everyone has some tartar, but diabetics are more likely to have it, especially when blood sugar is not well controlled and oral hygiene is poor. The more tartar there is, the more likely it is to irritate the periodontal tissue, causing local inflammation, and gradually forming a vicious cycle.

2. Periodontal disease studies have shown that the risk of periodontal infection in diabetic patients is 2 to 3 times higher than that in non-diabetic patients.

Many diabetics suffer from periodontal disease, including gingival congestion, edema, bleeding, pain, bad breath, and even periodontal abscesses, loose or displaced teeth.

3. Alveolar bone absorption People with poor blood sugar control have a high prevalence of periodontitis, and osteoporosis itself is a common complication.

Recurrent periodontitis will accelerate the loss of periodontal bone, causing alveolar bone absorption, leading to a decrease in bone density of the upper and lower jaws around the teeth, and some teeth will have their gums atrophied and their roots exposed.

4. Loose teeth. The accumulated problems mentioned above have led to an increasingly poor dental hygiene environment. Diabetic patients gradually begin to develop loose teeth, and often multiple teeth become loose one after another.

The degree of loosening will gradually increase, and in the later stage the loosening will be quite large, eventually leading to tooth loss.

5. Tooth decay may be related to the decrease of saliva secretion. The main manifestation is that multiple teeth are decayed at the same time, which is very sensitive to cold and hot stimulation and accompanied by pain.

6. Oral mucosal lesions Diabetic patients have less saliva and dry oral mucosa. When blood sugar is poorly controlled, the oral mucosa's disease resistance is reduced, making it susceptible to bacterial and fungal infections and prone to stomatitis.

The clinical manifestations are milky white or grayish white pseudomembranes appearing on the cheeks, tongue, upper waist and other parts, surrounded by a narrow red halo and red erosions underneath. In severe cases, it can lead to oral cancer.

3. Teach you five tips to effectively prevent tooth loss. 1. Comprehensive prevention and control. Strictly control blood sugar and measure blood sugar, blood lipids and blood pressure regularly.

Have a dental check-up every six months.

If you have surgery, tooth extraction, etc., make sure your blood sugar level is below 11.1mmol/L, or even below 10.0mmol/L.

2. Brushing teeth correctly Brushing teeth plays an important role in preventing various oral diseases, especially periodontal disease and caries.

However, you must use the correct brushing method, such as the Bass method, which is recommended by the American Dental Association as an effective method for removing plaque at the gum margin and gingival sulcus. It has strong cleaning power and can avoid defects in the tooth neck and gum atrophy.

The Bass brushing method can be divided into the following 3 steps:

(1) Hold the toothbrush at a 45° angle to the tooth surface, facing the gums. Place the toothbrush at the junction of the teeth and gums, with the bristles at a 45° angle to the gums. Apply slight force to allow the bristles to enter the gingival sulcus.

(Brush the inside and outside of your teeth at a 45-degree angle)

(2) Vibrate the toothbrush horizontally with small movements while brushing. Cover 2-3 teeth each time, move the brush back and forth, and vibrate the toothbrush slightly horizontally for about 10 times. Lift the brush upwards and brush gently to remove all the dirt in the gingival sulcus.

(Horizontal vibration to clean gum dirt)

(3) Brush every side of the teeth, and don’t forget to brush your tongue at the end. When brushing your teeth, you should not only brush the outer and inner sides of the teeth, but also carefully brush the occlusal surfaces of the teeth. After brushing every surface, don’t forget to lightly brush the tongue coating.

(Each occlusal surface must be taken into account)

3. Rinse your mouth carefully. Many diabetics do not have the habit of rinsing their mouths, but in fact, rinsing the mouth can effectively remove food debris, keep the mouth clean, and is very beneficial for preventing oral diseases.

Patients who already have mild gum swelling and pain can also rinse their mouths with warm salt water to prevent further infection.

4. Chew thoroughly. Chewing thoroughly can stimulate saliva secretion, flush out dirt in the mouth, and massage the gums, thereby effectively maintaining the health of periodontal tissues.

In addition, chewing thoroughly and eating slowly can also help manage blood sugar after meals, so that blood sugar does not rise too high after meals.

5. Massage the gums Massaging the gums can promote periodontal microcirculation and enhance the disease resistance of the mucosa, tooth body and periodontal tissue. If the gums are severely red and swollen, you can use a cotton ball or soft cloth dipped in salt to massage. Keep doing this for about 5 minutes every day.

Early detection, early prevention and early treatment Oral health and diabetes are closely related. If you ignore oral diseases, it will aggravate diabetes.

Therefore, diabetic patients must pay attention to oral health, detect and treat it early, and never take it lightly to avoid more serious consequences.