close up of person's gums being checked by dentist

Diabetes and Gum Disease

A healthy mouth is important for your whole body. This is especially true for patients with diabetes. Presently, there are over 26 million people with diabetes in this country. Studies have shown that people with diabetes are 2 times more likely to get moderate to severe gum disease. Having diabetes makes the body more susceptible to bacterial infections. Diabetes decreases the ability to fight germs that invade the gums, causing more bone loss. People with diabetes have a poor healing response. Gum infections can cause high glucose levels to be elevated and at times uncontrolled. High glucose levels in saliva…