If you have diabetes, this condition can impact your overall wellbeing, including your oral health. An estimated 24 million Americans have diabetes, and many may not realize the affect it has on your teeth and gums. The link between diabetes and oral health has to do with blood sugar levels.
Regulating blood sugar is an important component of diabetes management. If your blood sugar is out of whack, you can have problems. Uncontrolled diabetes hinders white blood cells, which help fight off bacterial infections in the mouth. Research has shown that keeping blood sugar levels steady can lowers the chances of major complications of with the eyes, heart, and nerves. Apparently, watching these levels also helps avoid oral health problems as well.
People with diabetes have an increased risk for:
Dry Mouth – When your blood sugar is not regulated, it can decrease saliva production, which can lead to dry mouth.
Inflammation and Gum disease – With diabetes, patients face impairing of white blood cells and thickening of the blood vessels, reducing the flow of nutrients and the removal of waste in the mouth. These factors compromise the body’s ability to fight infection, so the risk for gum disease increases.
Poor healing in the mouth – If you don’t have the diabetes under control, healing throughout the body take longer, including with any dental procedures.
Thrush – A fungal infection of the mouth and tongue, thrush can occur in diabetics if their sugar levels are inconsistent because this fungus is very receptive to the high glucose levels in the saliva.
Patients with diabetes can keep their mouths healthy by following good home health care, scheduling dental visits every six months, and keeping your dentist informed about the status of your diabetes. Make sure to give your dentist contact information for your primary physician so that they can coordinate your complete health care.
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If you haven’t been to the dentist in a while, you may not recall the process for a regular checkup. These visits are an important part of your oral health care. If you are in good dental health, your dentist will probably suggest twice-yearly visits. Individuals with gum disease or other oral health concerns may need to schedule more frequent appointments. Feel free to ask your dentist questions or raise concerns at the visit.
Your dental checkup will usually include:
• Full Health History
Because oral health affects your overall wellness, your dentist will want to have a complete picture of your whole situation. A member of the dental team will ask you questions and gather relevant details about your present status. Make sure to provide helpful information like current medications and any pressing issues.
• X-Rays
Typically, your dentist will take X-rays about once a year. These images provide a clear view of your teeth and gums. Often, X-rays will identify problems, like impacted teeth, cysts, abscesses, or decay between teeth that might otherwise go undiagnosed.
• Complete Evaluation
During your checkup, the dentist will perform a periodontal assessment, bite analysis, and tooth-by-tooth inspection. If the dentist discovers a problem, your provider will make treatment recommendations to address the issue and restore your oral health.
• Thorough Cleaning
If everything checks out, the hygienist will typically remove plaque and tartar build-up from your teeth. At this time, the hygienist may also polish and floss teeth to refresh your smile.
Schedule your appointment at our Toronto dental office
As much as you hope it doesn’t happen, dental emergencies can sneak up on you. Some clinics offer emergency dental care to provide quick, effective, and safe treatment. It’s important to know what kinds of dental problems require urgent care, as opposed to those that can wait until you can get a regular appointment with your dentist. Here are some common types of emergencies that warrant immediate treatment.
Severe toothache
A painful toothache that won’t go away should not be ignored. These can occur suddenly, be confined to a single area, cause pain when eating, and also involve your gums. Symptoms like these may indicate an abscess, which can also lead to facial swelling. Sometimes your airway can even become blocked. A severe toothache requires immediate relief, and therefore is considered a dental emergency.
Excessive bleeding
If you have oral bleeding from something like losing a tooth and you can’t get it under control, you need to see an emergency dentist. Normally when a tooth falls out, the bleeding will stop after a few minutes. If the blood won’t clot for some reason, or if there was severe trauma, excessive bleeding can occur. A dentist can help stop the bleeding by applying pressure, using a hemostatic agent, or even using stitches.
Fractured teeth
Infection may occur when a tooth is fractured, especially if the break goes deep into a permanent tooth, so immediate care is necessary. An emergency dentist will apply dentine padding to the affected area, so that you can visit your own dentist the next day for further treatment.
Surgery complications
If you have had oral surgery and the pain is more severe or lingering than your dentist anticipated, you should seek treatment immediately to make sure complications like a dry socket or jaw fracture hasn’t occurred.
If you have a dental emergency, contact our Toronto dentists office.
Preserving the bone in your jaw and face is of utmost importance to your dentist, and as such, treatments that preserve bone are preferred over those that lead to bone shrinkage, known as resorption.
Dental implants preserve bone by mimicking the tooth’s natural roots, stimulating and preserving the bone. As part of the healing process following surgical placement, the jawbone fuses directly to the implant. Most often made of titanium, dental implants provide a very stable foundation for a replacement tooth. This foundation is so stable that it can serve as an anchor point for dental bridgework and will feel, look, and function as your natural tooth would.
The process of implant to bone fusion is known as “osseointegration.” Fusion is primarily dependent upon the quality of bone surrounding the implant, and can be achieved in three to nine months following dental implant treatment. Excessive smoking or drinking can stunt the healing process and lead to complications.
Because bone resorption is prevented with dental implants, your facial structure will not collapse and your facial shape will not change. Missing teeth that are replaced by implants avoid other problems commonly associated with tooth loss, including other teeth shifting into the open spaces created by the missing teeth, and functional problems with the jaw joints and bite alignment.
Once a tooth is extracted or falls out, a great deal of the bone in the area will shrink, or resorb over the coming year. Shrinkage occurs in a horizontal as well as vertical dimension. Most resorption occurs within the first two to three months following tooth loss. When a dentist replaces that tooth immediately with a titanium dental implant, the bone fuses around the implant, significantly reducing bone shrinkage.
Dental implants are the only restorative treatment that preserves and maintains bone. Dentures and partial dentures can accelerate the process of bone shrinkage as a result of pressure on the underlying mouth structures as you talk or eat.
If you live in the Toronto area contact us today
To improve the success of your dental implant surgery, there are a few guidelines you can follow during your recovery process. Diet is one of the most important factors to consider to ensure your implants heal properly.
Initially, you should not eat or drink hot foods for 24 hours after surgery as the heat could open the wound and cause an increase in bleeding. Avoid foods that may cause trauma to the gums or disrupt the implant, including the following:
- Hard foods such as candies, pretzels, nuts, and crunchy vegetables
- Chewy foods that require more than a couple of rounds of chewing such as rolls, gummies, hard fruit, and gum
- Foods that could stick in teeth or leave particles behind such as popcorn, seeds, and chips
- Foods or drinks that contain citric acid, such as oranges or grapefruit
Carbonated beverages
A soft diet is recommended for approximately two weeks after implant surgery to allow the gum tissue to heal. It is especially important to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids, although you should strictly avoid the use of a straw for at least 48 hours post-surgery. Suggestions of ideal food and drinks after implant surgery would be:
- Cooked cereals such as cream of wheat or oatmeal
- Yogurt
- Scrambled eggs
- Cottage cheese
- Broth, bouillon, or soups
- Ground beef, baked or broiled fish, or baked or stewed chicken
- Macaroni and cheese
- Baked or mashed potatoes
- Soft bread
- Puddings, milkshakes or ice cream
- Water, milk, coffee or tea
Patients who maintain a healthy diet of soft foods feel better and heal faster after dental implant surgery. Following these guidelines will help to ensure the quickest and most successful recovery from your implant surgery.
Contact our Toronto dental office today to learn more about dental implants options.
Do you suffer with chronic headaches or migraines? Do you hear your jaws click or pop? If you answered yes, you could be one of the millions living with TMJ dysfunction (temporomandibular joint dysfunction). Problems with TMJ dysfunction can generate a host of painful symptoms and negatively impact your well being.
The TMJ joints hold the lower jaw to the temporal bone and allow routine jaw motion. When these joints are misaligned, associated muscles are strained and discomfort can occur. Stress, heredity, certain habits, and a number of other factors can contribute to TMJ dysfunction.
If you think TMJ dysfunction is a problem for you, contact your dentist. The doctor will complete a thorough exam and then make treatment recommendations. Dr. Yolanda Cruz offers Joint Vibration Analysis (JVA), which records the vibrations that occur during jaw movement. This gives Dr. Cruz a better understanding of the TMJ function before and during the creation of a dental appliance or oral splint. Other treatments include physical therapy, stress reduction, rebuilding damaged teeth with restorations, or habit changes to relieve TMJ symptoms.
These tips may help you deal with your TMJ dysfunction:
• Apply warm compresses to the area, which may reduce inflammation and soothe discomfort.
• Consider meditation to slow breathing, help you relax, and alleviate uncomfortable symptoms.
• Find an effective way to handle stress. A calming bath, long walk, or yoga class may ease your anxiety and reduce triggers for flare ups.
• Talk with your dentist about a mouth guard. An oral splint can keep your jaw in the proper position so that the chewing system doesn’t become strained.
• Join a support group. Talking with others who have similar experiences can give you a safe place to share your feelings and find comfort.
TMJ Dentist in Somerville MA
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