How Diabetes Affects Your Mouth
Diabetics are at increased risk for gum disease because of a number of factors. First, diabetes impacts blood vessels, reducing the supply of blood and nutrients to the gums and making it harder for your gums to fight infections. Diabetes can also lead to reduced blood supply to the bones of the jaw, which can lead to more bone loss as a result of gum disease.
Diabetes can also lead to decreased saliva. Saliva doesn’t just keep your mouth moist, it’s your natural antibacterial rinse. With less saliva, bacteria accumulates and can damage the gums.
Diabetes and Denture Complications
These same effects can cause complications if you’re a denture wearer. Reduced blood supply can make your gums vulnerable to damage from poorly-fitting dentures. Gums can sometimes recede, exposing your bone directly.
With reduced saliva, too, your mouth is more vulnerable to infection generally. This can include infection of dentures sores, which can be serious, but it can also include a number of minor infections, such as cheilitis or candida (thrush). This minor fungal infection is about twice as common in diabetics as in others.
Diabetes might also result in increased bone resorption among denture wearers.
Protect Yourself from Complications
If you are a diabetic with dentures, it’s important to take certain steps to reduce your risk of serious complications.
First, make sure your blood sugar levels are under control. Diabetes with controlled blood sugar levels have the same denture success rate as nondiabetics.
Second, get properly fitting dentures. With increased risk that denture sores are going to be infected or cause the gums to recede, it’s important to minimize irritation and other problems with poorly fitting dentures. When dentures stop fitting properly get them relined or replaced.
Take care of your dentures properly. Better cleaning and care of dentures will result in less risk of infection.
Finally, closely monitor the condition of your mouth, and if you notice symptoms of gum disease or infection, such as swelling, bleeding gums, bad breath, and burning in the mouth. You may need additional medications or treatments like artificial saliva to help keep your mouth healthy.
If you are looking for the best-fitting dentures available, please contact a local FOY® Dentures dentist today.
