Grandma Li, who has suffered from sugar for 15 years, often had difficulty eating and drinking recently because her tongue and gums were swollen and painful, so she couldn’t help but go to the hospital for examination. The doctor found that her mouth was seriously infected with large trauma and informed her that this was an oral lesion caused by diabetes and needed further treatment at the stomatology department. Hearing this, Grandma Li said angrily: I just got a fire, how did it become a complication so serious, how do you still say it is related to diabetes?
According to the data: the total incidence of oral diseases associated with sugar lovers is 83.37%, 2-3 times higher than normal people. But the fact that many sugar lovers do not know that diabetes can also increase oral diseases. In fact, just like lips and teeth, the two will affect each other to some extent. Diabetes can induce and aggravate oral disease, and oral lesions can make diabetes worse and blood sugar difficult to control. So, sugar lovers appear these characteristics must not ignore oh!
Sugar lovers prone to 6 kinds of oral diseases
1, dry mouth and dry tongue
Many sugar lovers due to reduced saliva secretion, often appear dry mouth, thirsty feeling. The possible causes of dry mouth for sugar lovers are small vascular lesions, neuropathy or drugs that govern the salivary glands, and high blood sugar.
Suggestion: In addition to drinking water to fight dry mouth, you can also chew sugar-free gum and healthy crunchy food to promote saliva secretion.
2.Tooth decay
The incidence of tooth decay in sugar lovers is significantly higher than that of the general population, which is due to the high blood sugar state that makes the saliva contain higher sugar and less saliva, and the self-cleaning effect of teeth is weakened.
This environment is very helpful for the growth of cariogenic bacteria, which leads to tooth decay. If the treatment is not timely, it is likely to cause pulpitis or periapical inflammation and increase the difficulty of treatment.
3.Abnormal taste sensation
Sugar lovers with poor blood sugar control are more likely to have abnormal taste, that is, things that used to taste good taste a little strange, and may also be related to the use of sulfonylurea hypoglycemic drugs. After hyperglycemia is corrected, sluggish taste or altered taste will improve.
People should be careful: do not add too much sugar and seasoning to food to increase the taste. If the taste in your mouth is always bad, you should see a doctor.
4.Oral infection
Oral sensation is an oral complication, the most frequent one is called thrush.
The main symptoms are dry mouth, burning pain in the mouth and loss of taste. Many studies have shown that patients with poor blood sugar control are more likely to develop candidiasis. Diabetics are advised to see a dentist if they develop thrush or any other oral infection.
5, oral lichen planus
Oral lichen planus is a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs in the oral mucosa. Mainly in the mucosa appear white linear, dendritic, circular or reticulate stripes. Erythema and erosions may appear as the disease progresses. There are also cases where erythema and erosions appear at the beginning.
In this case, it is best to undergo standard treatment under the guidance of a doctor. Normally, we should pay attention to keep the oral hygiene, avoid viral and bacterial infections, eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, avoid eating spicy and stimulating things, ensure good sleep and a relaxed mood.
6, oral wounds are difficult to heal
Many sugar lovers have herpes simplex or wounds in the mouth that are difficult to heal. This is another major impact of diabetes on oral health. Poorly controlled blood sugar can make it difficult for wounds to heal quickly and completely.
7, periodontal disease
According to the survey, nearly 22% of diagnosed sugar lovers are affected by periodontal disease. Poor blood sugar control can increase gum problems, especially as we age.
Just as having infections and severe gum disease can cause elevated blood sugar, this makes diabetes more difficult to control because it makes a person more susceptible to infection and less likely to resist bacterial invasion of the gums. And periodontal disease can damage the gums, the tissues that support the teeth, and even the alveolar bone.
That’s why we need to not only control our blood sugar, but also protect the health of our gums. Let’s give you some tips to protect your teeth.
1.Regular oral examination
Studies have shown that treating gum disease can help improve blood sugar control and slow down disease progression in diabetic patients.
2, develop good oral hygiene habits
Ensure that you brush your teeth twice a day with a soft-bristled toothbrush, rinse your mouth in time after meals, brush your teeth in the morning and evening, master the correct method of brushing, change your toothbrush regularly, floss to thoroughly clean the food residue in the crevices of your teeth, and keep your mouth clean at all times.
Ensure that you brush your teeth twice a day for 3 minutes each time and floss your teeth once a day. Use antibacterial mouthwash or toothpaste to help reduce bacteria in the mouth and prevent gingivitis.
3.Control blood sugar
Good blood sugar control can help the body resist bacterial or fungal infections in the mouth, and also help relieve dry mouth caused by diabetes.
4.Avoid smoking
Smoking can lead to an increase in the incidence of periodontal disease in diabetic patients, aggravating the periodontal tissue destruction caused by periodontal disease and causing tooth loss.
5.Tooth extraction needs to be careful
Due to high blood sugar, diabetic patients are prone to more than bleeding and increased infection after tooth extraction, which may even cause sepsis. Therefore, diabetic patients must be careful not to pull teeth easily.
If tooth extraction is needed, you should go to a regular hospital and your blood sugar must be controlled below 8.9mmol/L before tooth extraction. Before tooth extraction, preparations should also be made, such as rinsing inflamed periodontal pockets, incision and drainage of abscessed gums, anti-infection treatment for the whole body, etc.
In addition, it is better to use antibiotics after tooth extraction. For patients who need insulin injection, the extraction time should not exceed two hours, and the fasting time before and after the extraction should not be too long to avoid hypoglycemia.
6. Regular dental cleaning
Do professional scaling every 6 months or every 4 months. If you usually do not pay much attention to oral hygiene, please increase the frequency of professional dental cleaning appropriately. In addition to informing your dentist that you have diabetes, you should also inform the glucose-lowering medication you take or the insulin you use to help your dentist diagnose and treat it.
It is said that a toothache can kill a person, we can only taste more delicious food if we take good care of our teeth.