The importance of telling your dentist about any changes to your general health has been underlined in a timely reminder issued by the British Dental Health Foundation.
It is especially important to tell them if you are pregnant or have heart disease, diabetes, respiratory disease or have ever had a stroke. You also need to tell them about any medicines you are taking as these can affect both your treatment and the health of your mouth”, says the Foundation.
Gum disease is another issue raised by the Foundation, which comments that although there is some evidence that gum disease runs in families, the main cause is the plaque which forms on the surface of your teeth. To prevent gum disease, you need to make sure you remove all the plaque from your teeth every day.
When you make one of your regular visits to your dentist or hygienist at the Chelsea Dental Clinic, your teeth will be given a thorough clean to remove any scale or tartar, which may take a number of sessions.
Your Chelsea dentist will also show you how to effectively remove the soft plaque yourself, by cleaning all the surfaces of your teeth thoroughly at home. Plaque is a sticky film of bacteria which forms on the teeth and gums every day, and leaflets are available from the Chelsea Clinic to help you with your home treatment.
Gum disease is an on-going problem, but with routine home care you can slow down its progress and even stop it altogether. It’s important to remove plaque every day, and have regular check-ups with your Chelsea Dental Clinic dentist and hygienist, as often as they recommend.
TELL YOUR DENTIST ABOUT A CHANGE IN YOUR HEALTH
The importance of treating Gum Disease
Treating serious gum disease in people with diabetes mellitus can help to reduce high blood sugar levels, according to a new study.
The study carried out by an inter-university research team including the UCL Eastman Dental Institute and Peninsula Dental School, looked at previous research into the link between diabetes and serious gum disease.
The results showed that there is a small but potentially highly important benefit to treating periodontal disease in diabetic patients.
However, further research needs to be conducted in order to fully establish the link between the two conditions.
Currently, it is thought that dental inflammation, caused by bacteria infecting the mouth, results in chemical changes that reduce the overall effectiveness of insulin, thus leading to raised blood sugar levels.
Dental treatment to reduce oral inflammation may therefore help to lower bloody sugar levels. This means a decrease in the overall risk of contracting serious health complications associated with the condition, including heart disease and eye problems.
Prof Ian Needleman from the UCL Eastman Dental Institute called the research particularly timely because periodontal disease now affects at least 40 per cent of the UK population. And for people with diabetes the disease levels will be significantly higher.
He added: Furthermore levels of diabetes in the UK are rising rapidly and with higher prevalence amongst disadvantaged groups, periodontal health is an important priority both for prevention and treatment.
Whilst the most important aspect of insulin control in diabetes management is the use of drugs and diet, maintaining good dental health is something patients and healthcare professionals should also recognise, particularly because it is easy to treatĀ
The findings, which have been published as part of the international Cochrane Collaboration, highlight the need for doctors and dentists to work together in the treatment of diabetes.