In many cases it's the dentist - and not the physician - who has the first opportunity to detect diabetes early, because diabetics are especially prone to dental health problems.
Swollen, tender, receding
and bleeding gums, loose teeth, and a sore tongue may not just be signs of poor
dental hygiene. They may be danger signals for diabetes, too.
If you have any of these
symptoms, you may be one of the estimated 11 million people in North America
who already have diabetes, or you may be one of the 600,000 who will be
diagnosed this year.
Diabetes occurs when a
gland called the pancreas fails to produce sufficient amounts of the hormone,
insulin, to regulate blood sugar levels. In other words: Diabetics have too
little insulin and too much sugar in their blood.
When this happens, the
body tissue can't convert the sugar it needs into energy. The blood stream then
fills with this unused sugar and the result is diabetes - a disease medical
journals often describe as the "forever" disease.
A serious illness which
respects neither age, sex, race nor income level, diabetes is the leading cause
of blindness in people 20 to 65 years old and can lead to kidney failure, heart
attacks and even death.
But outside the dental
community, few people realize that diabetics have more than their share of
tooth and periodontal (gum) problems. This fact is especially true for
undiagnosed diabetics or those who have failed to control their disease
adequately with insulin and/or diet and exercise.
Periodontal disease among
diabetics progresses rapidly, recurs frequently, and heals slowly. The
resistance to treatment can lead to loosened teeth and premature tooth loss.
Your regular dental
office visits provide the best chance for early detection of many health
problems, including diabetes. If you have a diabetic tendency, your dentist may
very well refer you to your physician - another good reason to keep your
prescribed dental recall and dental cleaning appointments faithfully!
If you are diabetic, it's
important that you keep your dental health history up-to-date, exercise
regularly, and eat a diet that provides good nutrition:
- Have regular meals and snack
times. Don't skip meals.
- Avoid sweets (cake, candy, pie,
ice cream).
- Limit use of animal fats and trim
fat off meats. Avoid butter, cream, egg yolks.
- Bake and broil rather than fry
foods.
- Don't use alcohol, wine, or beer
without your doctor's permission.
- See your dentist regularly so
small dental problems can be taken care of with a local anesthetic.
Teeth don't heal themselves, so small problems turn into big ones if left untreated. Major oral surgery requires a general anesthetic which means "no food prior to surgery" - a problem for diabetics.
Ask
your dentist about periodontal disease today! Call our office today at or complete our easy online form to schedule an initial
consultation.
DR. GARY SIGAFOOS
LaJolla Periodontics
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