Gum disease and diabetes

 While most people aren’t aware of this, gum disease can have a connection to diabetes. Most Americans have blood sugar levels that make them prediabetic, which means that it’s higher than it normally should be, but that’s not enough to be considered diabetic. Because of the prevalence of all of this, you need to know how it can impact your body, and also some of the side effects that come with this too. 

What is Diabetes? 

Diabetes for the most part is a condition that can cause various issues including blindness, skin problems, heart disease, damage to the nerves, kidney issues, and even gum disease. This is because of the body’s inability for it to process and produce insulin properly, and then, your blood sugar is less able to be controlled. Some of this is preventable though, so you need to make lifestyle choices that decrease the risk. 

There are a lot of ways to prevent it, and even oral health is a big part of it. It’s actually bene found that gum disease is a risk factor, so it’s important that if you do have prediabetes or diabetes, you can of course, mitigate this by preventing it from happening. 

How gum disease relates to Diabetes 

It’s actually been something that’s definitely a two-way street. If your gums bleed a lot, are red, or they start to recede, those are all signs of gum disease. According to the ADA, those with diabetes will get gum disease because they’re more susceptible to problems including infection because their body is not able to fight off the gums. At this same instance, gum disease does make t hard for a diabetic to control he blood sugar levels, which cause progression of the disease. 

So what can you do? Well, if you’re a diabetic or if you want to prevent this from being an issue, you’ll first want to make sure that your blood sugar levels are controlled. Fi the blood sugar isn’t properly regulated, you’ll want to postpone some of the dental procedures that you have which aren’t an emergency. This is because people that are diagnosed with that can possibly have severe complications if they do go under and don’t have this controlled. 

On the flip side, if you’re someone who is prediabetic, it’s important that you make sure you take care of your teeth and pay mind to this. You should make sure to brush your teeth for at least two minutes twice a day, and then floss about once each day. Even though you’ve got these habits though, you should never forgo cleanings that re done professionally by a dentist. This is because they will help to tackle problems, and you can get these done more frequently if you are a prediabetic or diabetic, as they can make sure that gum disease doesn’t become a problem. If you are suffering from gum disease, talking to a dentist and getting cleanings or deep cleaning a lot will help to reduce the problems as well. 

If you do notice any signs that possibly might show gum disease, such as swollen, red gums that are bleeding or tender, then you should tell them immediately. Fungal infections, dry mouth, and the like are also very common too, so be mindful of that as well when you’re going to the dentist. Prevention is the best way to treat this, and if you’re struggling with what to do with all of this, then you should definitely try to make sure that you take care of it now, and make sure that everything’s put in place effectively.

How to stop Bruxism

 If you wake up the next day with your jaw being sore, a big headache, or the sound of gnashing coming from your mouth, chances are you’re grinding your teeth. Bruxism isn’t just a mild annoyance though, it’s something that can damage your teeth if you leave this unchecked. But there are ways to prevent this, and here, we’ll go over how to stop bruxism. 

The symptoms 

This is usually seen in the form of TMJ and headaches that are common. You also may notice that your teeth are fractured, inflamed, and gums are receding. 

Other symptoms might include: 

• more sensitive teeth 

• soreness of the jaw 

• loose or chipped teeth 

• temple headaches 

Teeth grinding along with bruxism both have very similar symptoms to other types of conditions, and if you notice that it’s happening, you can stop it. Usually though, most people do it when sleeping, so that’s hard to mitigate, but if you learn the symptoms, it can help. 

How it impacts oral health 

When you clench and grind your teeth, the force that’s there is actually much higher than what you do during chewing. When you eat, usually the food buffers this, but the thing is, when you engage in bruxism, this affects the whole mouth, with no barriers. 

This leads too: 

• enamel wearing away 

• chipping or cracking of implants, teeth, and bridgework too 

• sensitivity of the teeth 

• teeth that are loose or painful. 

• Facial pain and jaw muscle clenching 

• Headaches 

This is usually caused by different things. 

The causes 

There are a few causes that lead to bruxism. 

The first is snoring.  Usually, snoring plays a large part in bruxism. When you suffer from sleep apnea or even sleep talking, it can impact the breathing, and you might clench your teeth to open up the airway. 

Anger, stress and frustration also cause this, according to the ADA. When you start to engage in more relaxing activities, it can help with the development of this. 

Some people also may have this due to lifestyle choices. If you smoke or drink alcohol, this can sometimes lead to a development of this. However, this is something that’s also seen in children, so it does depend on the circumstances. 

There are also certain meds, such as antidepressants, and also other neurological conditions including Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease.  

Treatments 

The best way to treat this is to talk to your doctor.  You want to also discuss this with a dentist too. 

Most dental hygienists will see the signs of bruxism right away, and they can help provide the best treatments possible to help with this. 

Probably one of the biggest things you must do, is to calm down, and stay relaxed as best as you can. That’s because it can help you relax, and reduce the chances of teeth grinding. A hot shower, a bath with a book that you enjoy, or even practicing meditation and mindfulness is a good way to reduce this. 

You also may want to get a nightguard, which is basically a device that you wear that’s like a mouthguard for your teeth during the night. If you grind your teeth, you can prevent further damage. 

You also may need some mandibular advancement devices as well, which brings the jaw forward as you sleep, and this is something that’s used for treating sleep disorders. 

You want to treat this right away, and get rid of it whenever you can, for your own jaw’s health and safety reasons as well and for your oral health needs too.

Hypoglycemia and Blood sugar

We’re probably aware that hyperglycemia is high blood sugar, but hypoglycemia is the opposite, low blood sugar. What’s the cause of this, and what symptoms are there? Does your oral care play a part in this? How can it connect directly to dry mouth? Here, we’ll give you the lowdown on what it is. 

What Hypoglycemia Is 

This is basically what happens when your blood sugar gets down to low levels. Blood sugar is basically how much glucose is within your blood. You need glucose in order to create energy, but too much, and insulin helps keep it at the right levels. But there is a threshold for safety with this, and that where hypoglycemia comes in. 

This is usually when the fasting blood sugar is about 70 milligrams per deciliter, which is based on the Mayo clinic findings. However, this does vary between different people, so your range may be a bit different for it to be considered. This is sometimes a common thing that happens in diabetics. There are other reasons for this too, including: 

• Type ½ diabetes and other hormonal problems 

• Too much alcohol 

• Overtaking of medications, or taking medications you weren’t properly prescribed 

• Rare conditions that create insulin overproduction. 

• Hepatitis, kidney problems, and cirrhosis of the liver 

• The foods that are in your meals and the combination of this 

It’s important to discuss this with your doctor if you find yourself experiencing this. 

Diabetes and hypoglycemia 

Hypoglycemia is common in a lot of diabetics, especially when there is too much insulin. This is very common with those who have type 1 diabetes, and some may experience two episodes of this during the week.Your blood sugar does rise and fall throughout your daily activities, but if it gets too low, this can be a problem. Blurred vision, dizziness, confusion, and weakness are all common, and it can lead to injuries n some cases. If it’s untreated, it can cause a lot of complications, so if you are a diabetic, you need to make sure that you control this. 

The symptoms 

The symptoms do vary based on the types of instances. But, no matter what, all hypoglycemia should be taken quite seriously. These can be quite scary, but it’s a sign that you have to correct this ASAP, for your own health needs. Some of the symptoms do include: 

• Skin being pale 

• Sweating 

• Shaking 

• Feeling weak and tired 

• Stress, irritability, or anxiety 

• More hungry 

• Numbness in the tongue, lips, and cheeks 

• Disorientation or confusion 

• Rapid heartbeat 

• Seizures 

• Losing consciousness 

• Blurred or disturbed problems with your vision 

If you have hypoglycemia, you should definitely go to the doctor to get help with this. 

How this Impacts the Mouth 

Your mouth definitely gets impacted by this. You should try to have some sugar drinks, but also keep in mind that this does put you at risk for possible cavities and what not. Low blood sugars can cause dental issues, but it’s not direct. You might experience one of the following health problems: 

• Dry mouth, due to the lack of saliva in the mouth 

• Gum disease, which is usually what happens when the blood sugar is not under control 

• Injuries taking longer to heal 

• Changes in the flavor and tastes of food. 

• Infection and disease, which impacts your immune system, making you more susceptible to possible infection or disease within your mouth

Take care of this right away, for your oral health needs!

Saliva and Dry Mouth

Saliva is great for chewing your food, is vital for digestion but some people don't produce enough saliva, and this causes dry mouth. But there are substitutes and different types of ways you can fix this, and here, we’ll discuss the  potential benefits of these, and how they impact oral health.

How Dry Mouth can Affect You 

Dry mouth is otherwise known as xerostomia, which is something that can happen from medications, autoimmune conditions, chemotherapy, and even radiation, and so much more. Some of the signs include: 

• A sticky, dry feeling within the mouth and tongue 

• Trouble with chewing, tasting, swallowing and speaking 

• Lips that are cracked 

• Burning sensations within the mouth 

• Lips that are cracked 

• Mouth sores 

• A dry tongue that’s rough.

• Mouth infection 

Dry mouth also has impacts on dental health, leading to inflammation, infections, and even tooth decay.

That’s due to the fact that saliva works within the oral cavity to improve the mouth pH, and also prevents demineralization within the teeth.

Artificial Saliva 

This is something that is great for managing and treating the dry mouth symptoms that are there.

You’ve got three main actions that happen. You can manage these conditions through medications, preventing the decay of teeth, and boosting saliva production. 

When you’re increasing this, you can get artificial saliva rinses or sprays, which you’re able to purchase. There are also drugs that boost saliva production naturally. Artificial saliva is great for helping this, but keep in mind they don’t have the enzymes used for digestion, and it doesn’t have the same minerals that the regular saliva that your body makes.

It’s important that, if you do use artificial saliva, you don’t just rely on this, but also rely on other types of ways to relieve this.

These include: 

• Having water, or sugarless drinks that don’t contain caffeine 

• Using humidifiers 

• Chewing gum that’s sugar-free, or having candy that’s sugar-free to suck on

• Avoiding foods that are dry, hard for you to chew, along with spicy and salty items 

• Using a lip lubricant 

• Avoiding sugary or sticky foods 

• Avoiding tobacco and alcohol, even mouth rinses that have alcohol within them 

You’ll want to try different kinds of treatments that do work best and using this is based on the direction of the doctor, however, when you consume these, do not drink or eat for up to 15 minutes after you’ve used this. 

Substitutes Vs. Stimulants 

There are also saliva stimulants, but they’re a bit different. Saliva substitutes do cause you to have a more moist mouth, and they usually are devices.  They won’t stimulate your salivary glands, but they can help with moistening the mouth.

But a saliva stimulant is basically a way to boost the production of this in there.  The best way to boost this is through chewing, causing the muscles to start to compress, release the saliva, and boost the production. Chewing gum for instance might be a great simulant, especially if you don’t want to use a substitute. 

If you are going to stimulate the salivary glands, you should use sugarless gum in order to make this work. 

Overall, it’s important that you get the help that you need with your dry mouth. Discuss this with a healthcare provider, to figure out the best treatment plan. You don’t need to live with this daily annoyance, but there are different treatments that you can get, helping you boost your oral health, and bringing your oral health back to the state that it was in before.

Wisdom Teeth - The Worst Tooth Pain I’ve Ever Been In

Wisdom Teeth - everyone has them! Unless of course you don’t have them, which can happen in some cases. To be honest, I don’t really know what wisdom teeth are, how they form, or what they’re for, but I know that a lot of people have to get them out in their teenage years or early adult life. For me, I had to get mine out at the start of the summer before I began my internship. I was told I had 4 wisdom teeth in total that needed to come out and that they could do it all in one morning. I have heard lots of stories about people getting their wisdom teeth out, including from everyone in my family. It’s a little different from person to person, but for the most part it is generally not the end of the world for most people. Dry sockets were my ultimate fear, however, as I had heard many horror stories about them and how badly they hurt. I remember hearing that tooth pain is some of the most severe pain because the nerve endings don’t need to travel through the spinal cord to get to the brain - they have direct access I guess.

I got my wisdom teeth taken out May 4th, 2021, which also happens to be Star Wars Day - “May the 4th be with you”. Anyways, my mom and I drove down to a dental surgeon in Holland MI and I got all checked in. After some last minute xrays, the dentist's assistant pointed out something strange; I actually had 6 wisdom teeth, not 4. Somehow this was missed in my first round of x rays. The dental surgeon said it’s not that big of an issue and that they could remove the other 2 free of charge. Interestingly, only 2% of people have more than 4 wisdom teeth. So I’m pretty much a huge deal. They administered some laughing gas which didn’t really do too much for me while they put the IV in and prepared to put the full blown anesthetic in my arm. I was kind of nervous at this point and I remember watching the dental surgeon slowly inject the syringe of anesthetic and asking him if I’m gonna fall asleep soon. That’s the last thing I remember. 

The surgery went well and they woke me up to keep me in the stabilizing room to make sure there were no problems immediately after surgery. I barely remember anything at this point because I was still under a lot of sedation, but I took a few videos of myself and I didn’t appear to be super confused about what was going on. My mom told me later that I was the most put together out of my sisters, so that’s pretty good I guess. 

The recovery process for the holes where my wisdom teeth once were was longer than I expected. I experienced quite a bit of pain the first few days and having to keep the gauze in my mouth was very annoying. After about 4 or 5 days, things started to get better. That is until I got an infection on my left side which caused my jaw and mouth to continue bruising and swelling. This is some of the worst pain that I have ever been in.

Effects of neglecting the dentist

I have recently found out that neglecting your dentist visits is highly risky. There are many different kinds of illnesses and diseases that can form and take root if not dealt with. That is why going to the dentist is very important as they clean your teeth and check for any illnesses and diseases that may be trying to form as well as any issues with the teeth. 

Tooth decay is one kind of disease or illness that can form from the neglect of going to the dentist. This happens when plaque eats away at the teeth. Plaque forms from eating and drinking. It is always coming. If plaque is not removed by brushing or dentist visits, then disaster can strike. Plaque mixed with bacteria will slowly eat away at the tooth enamel and eventually the gums. After a while, if left untreated, then your teeth could fall out. This is what is knows as tooth decay. Tooth decay also causes bad breath regardless of how much brushing or mouthwash has been done. This can be fixed with extensive work such as root canals or a crown. 

Speaking of tooth decay, gum disease will be an issue. If tooth decay is left untreated, then it will evolve into gun disease or gingivitis. This disease attacks the gums. The gum’s primary purpose is to form a tight seal around the teeth and keep the base of the tooth as well as the roots safe and healthy. Plaque build-up will attack the teeth and eventually the gums. It will eat away at the gums and break that tight seal. The bacteria will then be able to settle on the base of the tooth and attack the roots as well as the gums as free will as it is now in a tough spot to get to. This will lead to bleeding, swelling, and sensitivity in the gums. 

The final kind of problem that can arise if you choose to neglect the dentist as well as brushing is staining. This one is not as serious as the previous two unless you like a pretty white smile. Drinking coffee, tea, soda, and smoking cigarettes will lead to this issue and leave you with an unattractive smile. An easy way to make sure this does not happen is to make sure you are brushing your teeth every day and night, as well as making sure to go to every dentist appointment that is scheduled. A professional dental cleaning can help remove these stains, but that is a lot of money and can be easily avoided by brushing your teeth. Some darker stains will require more specialized cleaning. A cosmetic dentist will need to work with you, and they will help get your teeth white but again, that is a lot of money. Way more than a simple cleaning. 

Going to the dentist can be a scary experience, but it is essential for your oral health. If you choose not to brush, floss, or even use mouth wash, then you are at risk of one if not all of these oral issues. Simply going to the dentist when appointments are required will help prevent and stop all of these diseases and problems. I personally do not like the dentist, but I make sure to go to every appointment as well as brush my teeth twice a day. 

Are you smiling enough to be healthy?

Smiling is one of the strongest natural drugs and guess what? It’s easy and free.No kidding, there are health benefits to having a smile on your face and it is actually pretty cool.  Being jolly can have added benefits in life and can not only be an emotional boost but a physical one as well.  I’m a huge advocate for smiling at complete strangers. You don’t have to be overly zealous about the smile. But if you go about your day without smiling or acknowledging anyone else, you may come off as a loner, an unhappy person, or even mean and unapproachable.

Is it fair that others make assessments about you like this? Not really. But you make the same assessments about others every day without probably noticing it. It’s just how humans read one another. The thing is, smiling does a heck of a lot more for your health than you may have originally considered. If you think you smile less than other people because you’re not as confident in your teeth, maybe it’s time to visit us so we can help restore your smile. 

With that said, here are a few things smiling can do for you, your social life, and even your health in general.  Because smiling is important and can be an emotional boost to your life and if you are afraid of smiling you may need some help.  That part is easy. Go and see your dentist.  Each of us has different needs and your dentist can really help out. 

It is not a surprise that smiling makes yo more productive.  If you are in a good mood then you can simply do more and be happy about it. 

The more you smile, the more you get done. Basically, your brain can be tricked into being more positive and happy, which is when you’re at your most creative and motivated. Don't brush off the idea of smiling for success.

Smiling can alter your brain and in the most positive of ways. Smiling from one day to the next can actually reteach your brain to be happier and more positive. Who in their right mind wouldn’t want this sort of change?

Smiling is free and can be contagious. Don't you want to help other people out?

 Think of the first response someone gives you when you smile at them. If you didn’t answer “Smile back”, then you were wrong. There’s some science behind why we do this, but basically, our brains learn to copy gestures when you see someone else doing it. If anything, others mean to say “I respect you, I’m similar to you, and we’re both equal.”

Smiling instills trust.  Those who frown all the time are not known to have the most trust.

Who would you rather trust? A) Someone who is pleasantly smiling and acknowledges your existence or B) someone who looks at you but doesn’t smile or really seem to care about you at all? Uh, yeah. It’s option A.

Smiling reduces stress and costs a whole lot less then therapy or drugs. The more you smile, the more you’re able to relax your facial muscles and calm your nervous system. This all leads to reduced stress and more oxygen in your brain. Endorphins are a seriously underrated chemical in your body.