It is well documented that people who suffer from diabetes are more susceptible to developing infections than non-diabetes sufferers. It is not widely known that gum disease is often considered the sixth complication of diabetes; particularly when the diabetes is not under proper control. Gum disease (often called periodontitis and periodontal disease) is a progressive condition that often leads to tooth loss if treatment is not promptly sought. Periodontal disease begins with a bacterial infection in the gingival tissue which surrounds the teeth. As the bacteria colonize, the gum pockets become deeper, the gums recede as tissue is destroyed and the periodontitis eventually attacks the underlying bone tissue. Diabetes is characterized …
How Stress Affects Your Oral Health
Stress can be defined as a state of tension triggered by difficult or tough situations. It is known to have a great impact on our physical health. Stress (or to be more specific “distress”) is part of life and it is almost impossible to get rid of it entirely. However, lowering stress levels is important to avoid irreversible consequences on our overall body health, and more specifically, our oral health. It is known that people who are subject to a high level of daily stress are statistically less attentive to their overall health. They are usually less likely to exercise, more likely to use alcohol tobacco or any other drugs, which simply increase tensions and keep their body under greater strain. And oral health is …
Top 5 Signs of Gum Disease
We often don’t think about oral health beyond our teeth, yet nearly half of all adults suffer from some form of gum disease. What most fail to realize is that if gum disease is left untreated, it can negatively impact your oral health resulting in infections, gum recession, and even tooth loss. Your gums are an essential part of your oral and overall health, and they deserve your attention just as much as any other part of your body. Be on the lookout for these five signs – if they apply to you, it’s time to seek help. 1. Bleeding When Brushing and Flossing Bleeding gums are one of the earliest and most common symptoms of gum disease. While you would likely run to the doctor if you started bleeding anywhere else, many people shrug off …
Periodontal Disease and COVID-19
From the beginning, doctors have known that COVID-19 is especially dangerous for high-risk groups, including older adults and people with underlying health conditions like heart disease and asthma. But research is still uncovering new risk factors, which now includes gum disease. The condition may affect up to half of American adults, and appears to be linked to a higher COVID-19 death rate, per a new study published earlier this month in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology. In the study, researchers followed 568 patients infected with the novel coronavirus, dividing them into two groups: those without major issues (mild symptoms) and those who faced complications like ICU admission and ventilation or, eventually, death. They found …
Heart Disease & Oral Health
Take care of your gums...help your heart? The American Heart Association recently published a statement supporting an association between gum disease and heart disease. The article noted that current scientific data do not indicate if regular brushing and flossing or treatment of gum disease will decrease the incidence, rate or severity of the narrowing of the arteries (called atherosclerosis) that can lead to heart attacks and strokes. However, many studies show an as-yet-unexplained association between gum disease and several serious health conditions, including heart disease, even after adjusting for common risk factors. Gum disease is an infection of the tissues that support the teeth and is a major cause of tooth loss in adults. …
How Diabetes affects your Oral Health
Did you know that 29.1 million people living in the United States have diabetes? That’s 9.3% of the population. Approximately 1.7 million new cases are diagnosed each year—and 8.1 million people living with diabetes don’t even know they have it. Diabetes affects your body’s ability to process sugar. All food you eat is turned to sugar and used for energy. In Type I diabetes, the body doesn’t make enough insulin, a hormone that carries sugar from your blood to the cells that need it for energy. In Type II diabetes, the body stops responding to insulin. Both cases result in high blood sugar levels, which can cause problems with your eyes, nerves, kidneys, heart and other parts of your body. So what does this have to do with that smile …
Does Sugarless Gum Prevent Cavities?
When it comes to chewing gum, it's the type of gum you chew that makes a difference in whether it's helpful or harmful to your teeth. While chewing gum containing sugar may actually increase your chances of developing a cavity, there is clinical evidence that demonstrates just the opposite for sugar-free gum. And there's even better news when it comes to chewing sugar-free gum that is sweetened with xylitol. Sugar-free gum helps to clean teeth Studies have shown that chewing sugar-free gum after meals and snacks can help rinse off and neutralize the acids released by the bacteria in plaque, which are harmful to tooth enamel. Both the act of chewing and the flavor of the artificial sweeteners in the gum stimulate ten times the normal rate …