{"id":11,"date":"2017-05-30T22:33:13","date_gmt":"2017-05-30T22:33:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alexgoodmandmd.com\/blog\/?p=11"},"modified":"2026-04-03T17:55:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T17:55:11","slug":"dentist-in-columbia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alexgoodmandmd.com\/blog\/dentist-in-columbia\/","title":{"rendered":"Dentist in Columbia on Link Between Diabetes and Gum Disease"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-12\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alexgoodmandmd.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/iStock_42811234_MEDIUM-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Dentist in Columbia provides gum disease therapy.\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alexgoodmandmd.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/iStock_42811234_MEDIUM-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.alexgoodmandmd.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/iStock_42811234_MEDIUM-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.alexgoodmandmd.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/iStock_42811234_MEDIUM-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.alexgoodmandmd.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/iStock_42811234_MEDIUM.jpg 1697w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>If you are one of the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">29 million people<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the United States living with diabetes, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.alexgoodmandmd.com\/meet-the-dentist.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">your dentist<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Columbia wants you to know that you are at a higher risk of developing gum disease if the disease isn\u2019t treated. Knowing about how diabetes affects your oral health can encourage you to stay on top of the regular preventive care that will keep your smile healthy and clean &#8212; keep reading to learn about the close link between your oral health and your blood sugar.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diabetes and Your Mouth: An Overview<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diabetes affects the way your body processes sugar with insulin, which carries sugar to the cells that need it for energy. Type I diabetics do not make enough insulin, and Type II diabetics do not respond to insulin. Diabetes causes high blood sugar and can impact the eyes, nerves, kidneys, and other organs. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When it is not treated, diabetes can have a significant effect on your mouth, especially. Some of the things that can happen to your oral health as a result of untreated diabetes include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dry mouth due to reduced saliva production<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increased risk of cavities due to dry mouth<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inflamed gums<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Difficulty tasting food<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Slow healing of wounds<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How Diabetes and Gum Disease Are Connected<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nearly 22% of people with diabetes also have gum disease. Why is that number so high? It\u2019s because the immune systems of diabetics are weaker and less able to ward off infection or heal after one develops. Since there is already a host of bacteria living in the mouth, your body is unable to prevent it from making a home in the gums and causing gum disease. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The symptoms of gum disease include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bleeding, tender gums<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Persistent bad breath<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gum recession<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shifting teeth<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eventual tooth loss<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fighting Diabetes With Regular Dental Care<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fortunately, studies show that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.alexgoodmandmd.com\/periodontal-therapy.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">treating gum disease<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can help to control blood glucose levels, and vice versa. That means for diabetics, seeking effective gum disease therapy as soon as infection develops is especially important. People with diabetes should schedule an two checkups and cleanings annually. Some patients may benefit from even more frequent appointments &#8212; follow your dentist\u2019s recommendation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have diabetes, here are some things to keep in mind to protect your oral health and help control your blood glucose levels, too.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maintain a balanced, nutritious diet.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Take all of your medications as directed.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stay away from tobacco. \u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clean your denture regularly, if you have one.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brush twice daily (at least). <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Floss daily. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Visit your dentist for a checkup and cleaning every six months! <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s Prevent Gum Disease in Columbia! <\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maintaining good oral hygiene is important for everyone &#8212; and staying on top of your regular appointments at Goodman Family Dentistry will help you enjoy a healthier smile and body for a long time to come. We are the dentist you are looking for when you search \u201cdentist near me,\u201d so go ahead &#8212; <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.alexgoodmandmd.com\/request-an-appointment.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">request an appointment<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> today! <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you are one of the 29 million people in the United States living with diabetes, your dentist in Columbia wants you to know that you are at a higher risk of developing gum disease if the disease isn\u2019t treated. Knowing about how diabetes affects your oral health can encourage you to stay on top [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alexgoodmandmd.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alexgoodmandmd.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alexgoodmandmd.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alexgoodmandmd.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alexgoodmandmd.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.alexgoodmandmd.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":283,"href":"https:\/\/www.alexgoodmandmd.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11\/revisions\/283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alexgoodmandmd.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alexgoodmandmd.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alexgoodmandmd.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}