Oral Health and Diabetes - The Importance Of Having Healthy Teeth And Gums With Diabetes Type 2

It is important for people living with type 2 diabetes to pay attention to all aspects of their health and wellbeing.

Here is an aspect of taking care of yourself to live powerfully with type 2 diabetes. It is taking care of your oral health.

Recent studies have shown an increased risk between poor oral health and heart disease.

The risk for heart disease increases even more when you have poor oral health and type 2 diabetes.

This is because diabetes already puts you at twice the risk of heart disease than the general population. So when you add poor oral health to the mix you more than double your risk.

The mouth has thousands of different bacteria, fungi and viruses. Normally with proper oral hygiene and well-functioning salivary glands, these do not cause any problems.

However when the mouth becomes unhealthy due to poor oral health then a number of dental problems can set in.

The most common teeth and gum problems associated with type 2 diabetes are:

tooth decaygum diseasealtered tastefungal infections commonly called oral thrushdry mouthinfections

Poorly controlled diabetes can lead to tooth decay and gum disease

When blood sugar levels are not well controlled, this leads to hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia can cause bacteria and fungi to thrive in the saliva. This leads to the development of plaque.

Plaque is a hard material that builds up in the mouth. It attaches to the surface and in between the teeth. It can also collect beneath the gum line. When this happens, the gums become inflamed. This is called periodontal disease.

People who do not have well controlled diabetes are at risk for periodontal disease. Eventually, the gum disease becomes so bad that they lose their teeth.

Here are some signs of periodontal disease. If you have any of these signs then see a dentist as soon as possible.

gums that bleed easilyred swollen and painful gumsbad breathbad tastepus in between teeth or when the gums are pressedgums that have been pulled away from the teeth

Diabetes can also cause fungal infections

The mouth naturally has thousands of species of bacteria, viruses and fungi. The good thing is that the bodies natural defense system keeps them all in check so that they do not cause any problems.

Oral thrush is a fungal infection that can occur in people with type 2 diabetes.

There are several reasons why you can get fungal infections: 

Wearing denturesCigarette smokingHyperglycemiaAntibioticsDry mouth

How to reduce dental problems

Brush your teeth twice a day with a soft toothbrush. You can also use a electric toothbrush.Floss between your teeth at least once a dayChange your toothbrush at least every 3 monthsDisinfect your toothbrush regularly. You can place it in a microwave or a dishwasher.Use an antimicrobial mouthwashUse a toothpaste that has fluorideWatch for any signs of dental problems and tell your dentistQuit smokingDrink water regularly to keep the mouth moistA dash of 100% peppermint essential oil in water is a great natural breath freshener.

See your dentist regularly

Schedule an appointment twice a year to see your dentist.If you have any sores or pain in your mouth be sure to let your dentist know.Let your dentist know if your blood sugars levels are out of control.Also let your dentist know if there is any change in your medical history.Do not take any oral medications that could lower your blood sugar before seeing the dentist.If you are going to have dental work done and you are taking a blood thinner, be sure to let your dentist know this. The dentist will probably want to get a medical clearance from your primary healthcare provider.

So take the time to make sure that you pay attention to the health of your mouth. That way you will not go through the pain from lost teeth.

Let's face it dental care to replace lost teeth can be very costly. So why not invest in prevention and not a cure?

Take an active role to improve your oral health and diabetes.

The Importance of a Healthy Diabetes Diet

When a person is 1st diagnosed with diabetes, diet regime becomes an important part of these lives. This is why a lot of diabetics visit which has a dietician when they acquire diagnosed with diabetes. Even however medications and insulin are available, diet is nonetheless an important thing to concentrate on as a diabetic.

For all those with diabetes, diet needs to be carefully resolved and sometimes changed completely from the diet the individual experienced before they were clinically determined to have the disease. The biggest factor to avoid is enhanced sugar, such as sometimes appears in things like desserts, donuts, chocolate along with cookies. Refined sugar sparks the release of insulin shots and results in the highest blood vessels sugars when swallowed and is not recommended for diabetic patients.

The diabetes diet plan should contain numerous small meals during the course of the day. This amounts out the blood sugar levels and is the healthiest method for diabetics to keep secure blood sugar levels throughout the day. None in the meals should be very large or should have lots of refined sugar inside them.

Protein should be most of the diabetes eating habits. Protein can be in the form of meat, beans or peanut butter. Protein does not trigger blood sugar boosts very much and should be part of several of the small dishes a diabetic consumes every day. If the diabetic chooses meats, zero fat cuts of various meats should be chosen.

Diabetes mellitus diets should also think about issues around fats and triglycerides. Diabetics have above average triglyceride counts thus a low fat diet regime would benefit the diabetic person. Fats can be found in things like butter, inside processed foods and in several baked goods. Eating a decreased fat diet can also affect the diabetic’s weight. Weight loss can really improve the wellbeing of any diabetic.

Complicated carbohydrates are flawlessly acceptable in the diabetic issues diet. Complex carbohydrates involve things like rice, flour, barley and also other grains. These types of carbohydrate food are processed more slowly than are sophisticated sugars. They place less negative feelings on the pancreas when it comes to releasing insulin.

Fresh fruits and fresh vegetables must be on every good diabetes diet. These usually are lower in calories, free of fat and made from complex carbohydrates. Fruits contain the sugars, fructose, which is easier on our bodies and doesn’t trigger the release of insulin just as much as does glucose along with sucrose, or table sugar.

Each time a diabetic first will begin a diabetes diet plan, they should write down every little thing they eat and should check their body sugars before and after meals. This gives the new diabetic the chance to see how different factors of their diet can affect the blood sugar levels. Writing almost everything down doesn’t have to be a normal thing but is nice in the beginning or when the treatment changes.

Diet-controlled, common medication and insulin-dependent diabetics should all follow the all forms of diabetes diet. While the diet is not intended to have anybody lose weight, any fat loss on the diabetic diet regime will improve the greatest outcome of the diabetic person. In some cases, losses of large amounts of weight leads to needing lesser numbers of medication or possibly inside needing no treatment at all.