November is National Diabetes Month, an ideal time to examine the relationship between oral health and diabetes. According to the Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health
, research shows a link between poor oral health and medical problems like diabetes, osteoporosis, heart and lung conditions, and certain adverse pregnancy outcomes.
As the report says, “oral health and general health are inextricably linked.” In other words, you can’t be a healthy person without a healthy mouth!
Diabetes can take a serious toll on your dental health, including soreness, ulcers, infections and tooth decay. It can even lead to periodontal disease, also known as gum disease, which is a serious infection of the gum and bone that hold the teeth in place.
Healthy-Body Dentistry is our approach to oral health. We consider the patient’s entire well-being. Our founder, Dr. Casazza, has provided webinars for his colleagues on the subject of Healthy-Body Dentistry and the connection between diabetes and oral health. He was a founding member of Dentistry for Diabetics.
Our staff are trained to identify any high-risk characteristics our patients might have for diabetes. We offer a simple finger-prick test that makes it easy to detect underlying health threats like diabetes. The test evaluates glucose level in order to establish your diabetes risk assessment.
There are 29.1 million Americans living with diabetes, and one in four people don’t even know they have the disease. And of the 86 million people with pre-diabetes, one in three aren’t aware of it. Don’t be another statistic!
In honor of National Diabetes Month, ask us about diagnosing, preventing and treating the disease. Please don’t hesitate to ask our team about diabetes and your oral health.
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