Dental Health and Diabetes

I just came from my 6 month dental  check up and cleaning. NO cavities Mom and the Biotene I have been using at night before bedtime has helped a lot with dry mouth. Cutting back on my blood pressure meds and drinking a lot more green smoothies have also dropped my blood pressure. It varies between 110 over 64 to perhaps 120 over 82 for the most part. I attribute much of that to the celery based green smoothies. They help to alkalize the system which helps with inflammation and the celery has blood pressure lowering properties, along with the parsley, kale, baby spinach, cucumbers, red seedless grapes, apples, and oranges etc.

Speaking of DRY MOUTH which is a side effect of many prescriptions including the blood pressure medicines of felodipine and lisinopril, I think that cutting back on those since my blood pressure is now fine without the higher dosage, and using the biotene to fight dry mouth, my dental check ups are better.

You need to get regular dental checkups as there is a LINK BETWEEN PLAQUE IN YOUR ARTERIES AND your dental health. I also use a prescription flouride toothpaste called Flouradex that you are supposed to brush with, but not rinse your mouth out for 1/2 hour afterwards.

Here is a LINK to look at for further information in that regard:

Dan

http://diabetes.webmd.com/dental-health-dental-care-diabetes

EXCERPT:

Dental Care and Diabetes

The Importance of Dental Care With Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease that can affect the whole body, including your mouth. Dental care is particularly important for people with diabetes because they face a higher than normal risk of oral health problems due to poorly controlled blood sugars. The less well controlled the blood sugar, the more likely oral health problems will arise. This is because uncontrolled diabetes impairs white blood cells, which are the body's main defense against bacterial infections that can occur in the mouth.

What Dental Problems Are People With Diabetes at Higher Risk For?

People with diabetes face a higher risk of:

• Dry mouth. Uncontrolled diabetes can decrease saliva flow, resulting in dry mouth. Dry mouth can further lead to soreness, ulcers, infections, and tooth decay.
• Gum inflammation (gingivitis and periodontitis). Besides impairing white blood cells, another complication of diabetes is that it causes blood vessels to thicken, which slows the flow of nutrients to and waste products from body tissues, including the mouth. When this combination of events happens, the body's ability to fight infections is reduced. Since periodontal disease is a bacterial infection, diabetics with uncontrolled disease may experience more frequent and more severe gum disease.
• Poor healing of oral tissues. People with uncontrolled diabetes do not heal quickly after oral surgery or other dental procedures because blood flow to the treatment site can be impaired.
• Thrush. People with diabetes who frequently take antibiotics to fight various infections are especially prone to developing a fungal infection of the mouth and tongue. The fungus thrives on the high levels of sugar in the saliva of people with uncontrolled diabetes.
• Burning mouth and/or tongue. This condition is caused by the presence of thrush.

People with diabetes who smoke are at even a higher risk -- up to 20 times more likely than nonsmokers -- for the development of thrush and periodontal disease. Smoking also seems to impair blood flow to the gums -- which may affect wound healing in this tissue area.