Over the years, the knowledge of how our body’s function has increased incredibly; we can identify where problems start and end, and take preventative steps to keep ourselves healthy. Generally, all our bodily parts rely on each other to function smoothly. If you ask any dentist in west London, they will tell you that good health starts with the mouth and what you put in it. Invariably when things go wrong in the mouth though, we are starting to learn that it can radically affect the rest of your main functioning parts. One of the greatest dangers is gum disease which arises from poor diet and bad oral hygiene. This has been proven to have links to diabetes and then heart and kidney disease. Reverse this and you will find that people with diabetes have a greater chance of suffering from gum disease and eventually tooth loss, because they have a lower immunity to fight bacteria and blood problems. Both ways, it’s important to keep control of your glucose levels and diet, and to maintain a high level of oral hygiene through brushing and flossing. Combat any signs of gum disease by getting help from your dentist- having regular appointments with your dentist should be enough to combat this in the first place.
Posts tagged “diabetes”
The Link between Oral Health and Diabetes in West London
May 27th, 2011West London dentists help diabetes sufferers with the oral health
March 25th, 2011
For the many people who suffer from diabetes, there are lots of things to worry about. The condition can affect the nerves, kidneys, eyes and heart, to name but a few. But it can also affect the health of your mouth. If you suffer from diabetes it is imperative that you regularly visit your dentist so that your oral health can be monitored.
Diabetes patients are at particular risk of suffering from gum disease. In its most basic form it is known as gingivitis and is quite easy to deal with but must be sorted out so it doesn’t develop into periodontitis that affects the bones holding teeth in place. This is a leading cause of tooth loss, responsible for more lost teeth than dental decay itself.
The reason for this link is the problems that diabetes patients have with controlling the amount of glucose in their blood and this directly affects the gums. It is a further reason for diabetes patients to be rigorous about how well they deal with the blood sugar issue. Excellent daily dental hygiene care can also make a major difference and diabetes patients should brush and floss as directed just like every one else.
Keeping up the routine of visiting your dentist every six months is vital for everyone so that your mouth can be examined by a trained expert and any potentially nasty conditions can be dealt with in their infancy before they get any worse. This is especially so for diabetes sufferers given that they can easily develop gum disease. If you suffer from the condition and want more information, talk to your West London dentist today and he or she will be able to advise you about how to proceed.
Find out the link between diabetes and oral health at West London dentist
April 9th, 2010
Hundreds of thousands of people in the UK suffer from diabetes. It is a problem that is becoming worse because of the poor nature of many people’s diets and alcohol consumption. There are many complications with diabetes including heart and kidney problems but one of the least well-known is how it can affect your gums and teeth.
It has also recently emerged that the problem may well be a two-way street. Not only are people with diabetes at a greater risk of gum disease but people with gum disease are more likely to start suffering from diabetes. Serious gum disease has the potential to affect blood glucose levels which will increase the risk of contracting diabetes.
People with diabetes are at a greater risk of gum disease because a weakened immune system makes them more susceptible to infection and disease. Bacteria that builds up in the mouth cannot be as easily removed if you are suffering from diabetes. It is recommended that if you have diabetes you should be making very regular visits to your West London dentist. The dentist will be able to closely monitor your gums for the first sign of disease and infection. Not only will this protect your gums but it will help to keep your teeth and mouth healthy and also interrupt the link between gum disease and heart disease. Controlling gum disease will also help you to deal more effectively with your diabetes by reducing the amount of infection in the body. Your dentist will also be able to give you wider health information about what to do and avoid, to help keep your diabetes under control.
Central London dentist explains the association between Gum Disease and Diabetes
March 12th, 2010
If you suffer from diabetes then you need to take extra care in your oral hygiene program says a Central London dentist. The fact that diabetics have a lower immune system is also something they need to address. Infections are more easily contracted by a diabetic, and as diabetes is a blood related disease it is especially important that the gums are kept healthy and cut free. It is now known through research that oral cuts caused by soft and infected gums, are a major gateway of bacteria based infections in the blood stream. Diabetics have enough problems keeping their sugar and fat levels down to a bare minimum, that they really don’t need to have more problems through a bad oral hygiene program. At the first sign of an infection a diabetic should get a dentist to investigate the problem, it is so important that antibiotics are given early to bring down the infection and keep the swelling to a minimum. Your dentist is there to help you with your diabetes and gum disease problems, as well as your doctor. The way your dentist will help you is by keeping an extra eye on your gums, and by advising you through the dental hygiene nurse and those 6 monthly check ups. Diabetes comes in 2 forms which are type 1 and type 2, type 2 is generally kept under control by diet and /or tablets, but it is type 1 that will concern your dentist more as this one is controlled by insulin injections, diet and tablets. Type 1 diabetics are more prone to gum disease, and that can advance into Gingivitis which will eat away the gum line quite quickly. A diabetic’s immune system cannot keep getting antibiotics as the system will become immune to them, so it is so much more important that type 1 sufferers in particular follow an extra carefully planned oral hygiene regime.
A Central London dentist speaks out about Embarrassing Bad Breath
March 11th, 2010
Bad breath is something which is now becoming the modern equivalent of a social stigma, says a Central London dentist. The worst thing is that it is so easily avoidable, with a simple to follow and a disciplined attitude towards oral hygiene a cure is easily to hand. If you have bad breath you won`t be able to detect it by cupping your hands and sniffing in your breath, this doesn’t work. The best way to tell is to talk to someone up close and watch their facial expressions, that will usually give the game away. Bad breath is caused by a number of problems, and they are not all related to your oral hygiene regime. Diabetes and Liver problems are also responsible for bad breath in some people, in that case they are a warning sign that your have a health problem or even worse an infected liver or a bad diabetes regime. In both cases get a doctors advice immediately. Usually though bad breath is caused by eating strong spicy foods such as garlic enhanced meals, but mainly it is caused by rotting food residue trapped in the cavities of the mouth and in between teeth. Acid build up is caused by the food being attacked by bacteria, and this is just the same as a rotting animal carcass under your floor boards. Flossing around the teeth is an essential part of oral hygiene, and this needs to be done throughout the day, especially after a meal or a snack. Drinking water throughout the day is good for the body in general, but in the mouth it keeps acid concentration to a minimum which will also keep decaying material at a minimum. Chewing sugar free gum will also go some way to keeping the saliva glands active, saliva also keeps acid build up down. Follow these simple rules and you will see a great improvement in bad breath problems.
Preventing Heart Disease With Oral Hygiene by a London W1 Dentist
January 16th, 2010
Not many people are aware of recent research that associates heart disease and even strokes with poor oral hygiene. A lax regime in oral care leaves the blood low in Lipoproteins, research shows that this disorder is a leading factor in hardening of the arteries. A London W1 dentist says that although this isn’t a direct cause of heart disease, it certainly doesn’t help. The hardening causes a narrowing and this restricts the blood flow which in turn leads to high blood pressure. There seems to be a lot of conflicting views on the subject, some researchers are also advocating that strokes, and even diabetes is exasperated by the lack of good oral hygiene. The dentist goes on to say that although research is incomplete, he would always advise his patients to have a good, well advised method of oral hygiene. Every dentist has an advisor on duty, and they are there to prevent problems rather than push up the bill. Getting back to Lipoproteins, these are a very important part of the blood make up; they carry and distribute water and fat around the body. This is an important part of the functions that keep our body healthy, if there is a lack of Lipoproteins in the blood then that can have a knock on effect. Diabetes is also affected by the lack of this protein. Bad oral hygiene kills off the good part of High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) and Low Density Protein (LDL), both of which serve to carry naturally produced proteins from one organ to another. If the proteins aren’t absorbed by their receptacle organ then the organ will experience problems, this leads to many of the diseases which together can cause a heart attack. All this can be prevented by spending a little more time on brushing, flossing and making sure that our gums are healthier.
