Complications (5)
- Bone and joint problems associated with diabetes
- Amputation and diabetes: How to protect your feet
- Diabetic retinopathy
- see all in Complications
Lifestyle and home remedies (22)
- Diabetes management: How lifestyle, daily routine affect blood sugar
- Diabetes and dental care: Guide to a healthy mouth
- Diabetes and menopause: A twin challenge
- see all in Lifestyle and home remedies
Prevention (2)
- Diabetes prevention: 5 tips for taking control
- Healthy savings: The art of frugal food shopping
Risk factors (1)
- Diabetes risk self-assessment
Symptoms (1)
- Diabetes symptoms: When to consult your doctor
Tests and diagnosis (3)
- A1C test
- Glucose tolerance test
- Glucose challenge test
Treatments and drugs (8)
- Erectile dysfunction and diabetes: Take control today
- Insulin and weight gain: Keep the pounds off
- Pancreas transplant
- see all in Treatments and drugs
Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Diabetes and dental care: Guide to a healthy mouth
What do brushing and flossing have to do with diabetes? Plenty. If you have diabetes, here's why dental care matters — and how to take care of your teeth and gums.
By Mayo Clinic staffWhen you have diabetes, high blood sugar can take a toll on your entire body — including your teeth and gums. The good news? Prevention is in your hands. Learn what you're up against, and then take charge of your dental health. Start today!
The problem: An increased risk of cavities and gum disease
Whether you have type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes, managing your blood sugar level is key. The higher your blood sugar level, the higher your risk of:
- Tooth decay (cavities). Your mouth naturally contains many types of bacteria. When starches and sugars in food and beverages interact with these bacteria, a sticky film known as plaque forms on your teeth. The acids in plaque attack the hard, outer surface of your teeth (enamel). This can lead to cavities. The higher your blood sugar level, the greater the supply of sugars and starches — and the more acid wearing away at your teeth.
- Early gum disease (gingivitis). If you don't remove plaque from your teeth with regular brushing and flossing, it'll harden under your gumline into a substance called tartar (calculus). The longer plaque and tartar remain on your teeth, the more they irritate the gingiva — the part of your gum around the base of your teeth. In time, your gums become swollen and bleed easily. This is gingivitis.
- Advanced gum disease (periodontitis). Left untreated, gingivitis can lead to a more serious infection that destroys the soft tissue and bone that support your teeth. This is periodontitis. Eventually, periodontitis may cause your gums to pull away from your teeth and your teeth to loosen and even fall out. Periodontitis tends to be more severe among people who have diabetes because diabetes lowers the ability to resist infection and slows healing. An infection such as periodontitis may also cause your blood sugar level to rise, which makes your diabetes more difficult to control.
(1 of 2)
