Suffering from diabetes is a health issue that requires time, medical care, and medication, but it is not a condition that only affects one part of your body. Instead, it can affect your overall health, and it can also affect your mouth and teeth. If you have diabetes, you will need to care for your mouth and teeth even more than people do who do not have this disease, and this is because diabetes will affect your oral health. Here are several things you should understand about this.

Uncontrolled blood-sugar levels affect your mouth

Living with diabetes makes it hard to control your blood-sugar levels, and this is the main reason you are prone to negative effects inside your mouth. When your blood-sugar level is too high, it can make your mouth dry, and dry mouth increases the risk of cavities. Additionally, high blood-sugar levels tend to increase your risks of inflammation to your gums. This means that you will have a greater chance of developing gingivitis, which is the initial stage of gum disease.

Uncontrolled blood-sugar levels also make it harder for your body to heal, including wounds in your mouth and inflammation from gum disease. This condition also increases a person's risk of developing an infection in their mouth. These are the main effects of uncontrolled diabetes, but there are others too.

Ways you can protect your mouth

Due to the increased risks of oral health problems, people with diabetes will need to develop good daily habits when caring for their teeth and mouths. The most important thing you can do is try to keep your blood-sugar levels under control. Secondly, you should aim to brush and floss each day. Developing good cleaning skills each day can help you control the plaque and bacteria in your mouth.

Finally, you should visit a dentist more frequently than the average person goes. Most people, who have normal oral risks, go to the dentist every six months. People with diabetes should go more often than this. If you are not sure how often to go, ask your dentist. He or she might recommend coming every three months for a checkup and cleaning, but this will depend on the risk level you have.

If you are living with diabetes, it's important to understand the risks involved when it comes to your oral health. You can learn more about caring for your teeth and your diabetes by visiting a doctor and a dentist, like David D. Childress, DDS.