Can Gum Disease Cause Diabetes?
November 30, 2015
Visit any dentist in Glendale, AZ, and you will likely hear at least one mention of gum disease prevention. It may be in applauding your extraordinary dental care routine, or it could be to help emphasize the need for improvement. Either way, there is a good reason providers such as Dr. Chang are constantly pinpointing gum disease dangers. Problems that originate in your oral cavity can often cause others throughout the rest of your body.
The common school of thought is that if you suffer from diabetes, you are more likely to develop gum disease than the rest of the general population. Yet can gum disease cause you to develop diabetes? Recent research seems to suggest so. A study conducted by researchers at Marquette University showed that the increased levels of inflammatory cytokines and serum lipids inherent with gum and periodontal disease can actually result in an insulant-resistant condition similar to diabetes. That, in turn, can lead to the further destruction of vital pancreatic beta cells, whose loss increases the risk of developing diabetes itself.
Keeping Gum Disease Localized
So what to do? There is no cure for serious gum disease. However, it can easily be managed, controlled, and localized in the following ways:
- Maintain a strong oral hygiene regimen.
- Seek immediate assistance from Dr. Chang if you happen to notice signs of a periodontal infection.
- Speak to Dr. Chang in conjunction with your physician to determine whether your dental care should be supported with antibiotic use.
These steps can help keep your gum disease from contributing the development of diabetes as well as other serious health issues.
The dangers posed by both gum disease and diabetes are very real. Yet do not allow the proven link between them fool you into thinking that if you suffer from one, you are doomed to acquire the other. Dr. Chang and the rest of our staff can help you reverse the effects of gum disease before they can ever lead to the development of diabetes, or we can ensure that the timely treatment of gum and periodontal disease pockets does not have a negative effect on your diabetes management. Whatever you need us to do, we’re glad to do it. Call and schedule your appointment with Dr. Chang today.