Your dentist might be the first to know you have diabetes or pre diabetes. Especially since most adults visit their dentist annually, usually more often than their regular doctor, it’s the perfect opportunity to screen patients for oral symptoms. Approximately 26 million Americans have diabetes according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and more than 7 million don’t know they have it.
The following are the top 5 oral symptoms of diabetes:
!. Bad breath that won’t go away
2. Bleeding gums each time you brush or floss
3. Teeth that are loose or moving away from each other.
4. Gums that pull away from your teeth.
5. Finding pus between your teeth and gums, when you press on gums
“Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions of the last few decades with about 40% of the US diabetic or pre-diabetic. While research is ongoing, there is some evidence that gum (periodontal) disease and diabetes are linked with the diseases affecting each other. In other words, people with diabetes may be more susceptible to gum disease and people with gum disease may be more susceptible to diabetes. There is also some evidence that resolving active gum disease can lessen diabetes. If you have been diagnosed with diabetes or pre-diabetes, it is especially important to keep your gums as healthy as possible,” says Dr. Andrew Koenigsberg of Gallery57Dental.
Be sure to provide a complete medical history at your next dental visit, informing them of any recent health development even if they are unrelated to your dental health. Here’s more information about risk factors from the American Diabetes Foundation http://www.diabetes.org/are-you-at-risk/.
