The relationship between diabetes and problems with teeth and gums has long been no secret either for doctors or for patients. According to research by the International Diabetes Federation (idf.org), 92.6% of diabetics suffer from various oral diseases. And in the first place is xerostomia or dry mouth syndrome.
Signs of xerostomia:
– Dry mouth, feeling of stickiness
– Dry skin of the lips, sticking
– Burning sensation in the mouth
– Numbness of the tongue
– Ulcers on the inner surface of the cheeks
Of course, with dry mouth as a temporary phenomenon occurs in almost every person. But constant, painful dryness is a sign of a serious illness, including a possible violation of carbohydrate metabolism. And that is diabetes.
By the way, dry mouth syndrome is often the first sign of diabetes. A person does not yet know that he has high blood sugar, he has never measured it. But dry mouth, especially dryness at night, at the age of 40-45 years, and even in the presence of abdominal obesity (fat in the waist) may well signal the need to still take a glucometer and measure sugar. Once on an empty stomach and the second – 2 hours after eating. And with elevated glucose values, contact an endocrinologist.
How to deal with dryness?
Of course, the most important advice is to try to keep your blood sugar close to normal. The less hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia, the better the gums and oral mucosa feel. Well, and, of course, with a high level of blood glucose, its content in saliva is also increased, and this is a direct road to caries: in a sweet environment, harmful cariogenic bacteria actively multiply, which destroy tooth enamel.
With xerostomia, you constantly want to drink. But you need to remember that sweet water or tea-coffee will not help, but will aggravate the situation. You can drink only plain, non-carbonated water and in small sips.
And there is one simple way: after eating for 15-20 minutes, chew sugar-free gum, on xylitol. This stimulates the production of saliva and at the same time cleanses the mouth of food debris.
In this condition, it is very important to choose the right hygiene products – toothpaste and rinse. They should not contain aggressive, drying and astringent components. Never use alcohol-based rinses due to their strong drying effect!