Diabetes and Your Oral Health

Diabetes and oral health do not seem linked at first glance, but uncontrolled blood sugar levels can impact your teeth. By the same token, a good oral health regime can help you prevent gum diseases and infections, which diabetes makes you more susceptible to.

If you suffer from diabetes, oral health issues may not be your first priority. But by better managing your teeth, you may be able to prevent painful and costly health complications related to your diabetes.  

How does diabetes impact oral health?

Uncontrolled diabetes can cause damage to many bodily systems, including the nerves, eyes, heart, and kidneys. However, its impact on oral health is not as widely understood or communicated by diabetes management professionals. Yet, dental professionals know the impact that diabetes can have on the outlook of a patient’s oral health due to a few key disease mechanisms:

• Diabetes lowers white blood cell counts, making infections more serious
• Diabetes can cause dry mouth due to a lack of saliva
• Diabetes may cause gums to become inflamed or bleeding

Consider this scenario. A person diagnosed with diabetes notices they have chronic dry mouth, which can be caused both by uncontrolled blood sugar levels as well as the medications used to treat diabetes. At first, the dry mouth is merely a nuisance, causing throat irritation and hoarseness, until it develops into thrush, an oral fungal infection. If left untreated, thrush can spread to the throat, gums, and tonsils.

Thrush, characterized by painful white patches in the patient’s mouth, commonly results from a lack of saliva or saliva with high sugar content, both of which are common in people with diabetes. This is because saliva is a natural protector of the mouth’s bacteria ecosystem, helping you chew, taste, swallow, and wash away food debris/sugars from the teeth and gums.

Inadequate saliva levels can lead to cavities, bad breath, infections, and advanced tooth decay due to a lack of this natural defense. Saliva even provides vital fluoride, phosphate, and calcium to the surface of your teeth. It’s a significant part of many key oral health mechanisms, which many people don’t realize until they experience their absence due to diabetes or other conditions.

Yet, dry mouth does not have to develop into thrush or cause oral health challenges for people with diabetes. 

Tips to managing oral health with diabetes

Thankfully, diabetes is not a guarantee of poor oral health. It simply requires more attentive and knowledgeable care on the person’s part to properly manage their new vulnerabilities.

How to relieve dry mouth

To relieve dry mouth, you can encourage your body’s natural production of saliva by drinking or eating. But since you suffer from diabetes, you are likely watching your intake of food and drink, which is why we recommend these strategies:

• Sip non-caffeinated, non-sugared drinks such as water or some herbal teas. If your drink contains sugar or caffeine, this won’t work as well (it’s why you may feel thirsty after drinking soda)
• Suck on ice cubes (try not to chew them)
• Chew sugar-free gum or suck on sugar-free candy, both of which can stimulate saliva flow

In addition to these strategies, you should avoid the things that can contribute to dry mouth, including:

• Eating salty or spicy food
• Drinking sugary, alcoholic, or caffeinated beverages
• Smoking or chewing tobacco
• Wearing dentures for too long, especially if they are poorly fitted

How to prevent cavities

Cavities are often more prevalent in people with diabetes due to a lack of healthy saliva production. Preventing cavities with diabetes is the same as it is for anyone else:

• Brush twice a day with a soft-bristled toothbrush, preferably mechanical and for at least two minutes
• Use a toothpaste that contains fluoride
• Floss once a day
• Use a mouthwash containing fluoride once a day
• Follow your healthcare provider’s and your dentist’s diet advice, staying away from foods high in salt and sugar
• Invest in a WaterPik or similar device to supplement your flossing routine
• Visit a dental health professional at least twice a year for scheduled cleanings

How to prevent gum disease

Gum disease is another prevalent oral health complication for diabetes sufferers. Gum disease (called “periodontal disease”) results from an infection in your gums that causes them to swell and be more susceptible to bleeding. Without treatment, serious gum disease can result in tooth loss.

The best ways to prevent gum disease are the same we discussed for preventing cavities. Your dental health provider will notice if you have issues and may suggest additional treatments if gum disease has already set in.

The takeaway for people with diabetes

If you suffer from diabetes, you likely have an overwhelming list of things to think about in terms of your health. Your oral health may be low on your list of priorities since dry mouth and cavities may not seem serious. Our goal is not to give you “one more thing” to think about while you manage your condition. Our goal is the opposite – we want to help you prevent issues that are serious and will be another thing you have to worry about.

If you have diabetes, your dentist can work with you to keep your mouth healthy so you won’t have to deal with cavities, tooth loss, and thrush in addition to everything else. Managing diabetes is a team effort and your dentist is a valuable member of your team. The daily routine we outlined combined with regular dental check-ups and cleanings can help you prevent painful issues before they occur.

Early detection of diabetes-related oral health issues is key to preventing serious complications. In addition to managing your oral health, managing your diabetes is also key to preventing these conditions. Speak with your healthcare provider if you have any questions about your diet, exercise, or medication requirements.

Living with diabetes can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to include the additional challenges of oral health issues. For more information, visit the American Dental Association and MouthHealthy to learn more about dental treatments and practices that can help you check your oral health off your self-care to-do list.