Local Dental Care - Dental Office

Gum Disease and Early Diabetes Detection

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.

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.

Gum Disease and Preterm, Low Birth Weight Babies

Is there a link between maternal periodontal disease and premature, low birth-weight babies?

The Journal of Periontology published a special supplement in October 1996 to introduce an important study, "Periodontal Infection as a Risk Factor for Preterm Low Birth Weight." This study establishes just such an association.

Periodontal disease is a chronic infection of the oral cavity that can worsen without treatment, especially during pregnancy. This study is one of the first of its kind to suggest maternal periodontal disease as a possible risk factor for premature, low birth-weight babies, according to The American Academy of Periontology.

In order to substantiate these results, more studies are needed. We'd also benefit from determining whether intercepting maternal periodontal disease will reduce the risk of premature delivery.

Until we learn the results, the American Academy of Periontology urges that any periodontal infection during pregnancy should be treated seriously. If a woman has been diagnosed with periodontal disease, she and her obstetrician - with consultation from a periodontist - should follow the best plan of treatment.

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.