Diabetes and Gum Disease

If you have diabetes, you probably know that you’re at increased risk for gum disease. But if you don’t, did you know that by preventing gum disease, you can also lower your risk for developing diabetes? November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, and in honor of it, we at All Coast Dental want our patients to know more about the relationship between diabetes and gingivitis, and why daily oral hygiene is so important to your overall health.

People with uncontrolled diabetes are generally at greater risk for developing infections. Gum disease is an infection of the gum pockets, which become inflamed in response to the acid produced by bacteria’s respiratory process. A diabetic person’s immune system is less able to fight off the infection, and the cellular damage caused by unprocessed sugars in the bloodstream makes the gum tissue more prone to bleeding. The increased sugar in a diabetic person’s saliva would also provide more nourishment to oral bacteria, although lack of saliva would deprive the teeth of their protection against acid. There is also emerging evidence that the damage caused to gum tissue by bacterial acid inhibits the body’s ability to process sugars and disrupts its immune response, forming a vicious circle between the two diseases.

Keeping the gum pockets clear of food debris is essential for everybody’s health, but especially that of people who have difficulty controlling their blood sugar levels. Everybody should brush their teeth twice a day and floss at least once. It’s also especially important for people on medication to prevent dry mouth. They may use an artificial throat moisturizer, or try producing more saliva by chewing sugarfree gum. But regularly drinking unsweetened water throughout the day is also an important means of removing food debris and bacterial acid, and can also combat the bad breath gum disease sometimes causes.

Drs. Julie and Joseph Boulos operate All Coast Dental at 2180 Garnet Ave, Suite 1-K, Pacific Beach, California, 92109. To schedule an appointment, call 858-270-4904 or visit All Coast Dental and fill out a contact sheet.

Gum Disease and Heart Disease

Your oral health is vital to your whole body. You probably knew that if you don’t brush your teeth, you’re much likelier to develop gum infections. But did you know that gum disease has also been linked to heart disease? At All Coast Dental in Pacific Beach, we frequently provide deep cleanings and periodontal therapy to people at risk for heart failure, and we want them to understand why preventive care is so vital.

There are many studies showing that people with gum disease are likelier to have hypertension. Children with dental infections are also likelier to develop thickened arteries, and people who have lost teeth to infections are at greater risk for chest pains, heart attacks, and strokes. Although gum disease and heart disease share some common risk factors, such as smoking, there may also be a causal relationship. Gum disease is caused by oral bacteria secreting acid as a waste product. Inflammation is an immune system response to bacterial infection, and if oral bacteria are able to spread to other parts of the body through gum lesions, they may trigger inflammation in the circulatory system.

It is too soon to say that improved oral hygiene decreases a person’s existing risk for cardiovascular disease, but it certainly lowers their risk for gum inflammation. During deep cleanings, we remove bacterial build-up from the gum pockets, where patients can’t reach on their own. We also examine their x-rays to determine whether they have active infections deeper in their gum tissue, allowing us to intervene early.

Drs. Julie and Joseph Boulos operate All Coast Dental at 2180 Garnet Ave, Suite 1-K, Pacific Beach, California, 92109. To schedule an appointment, call 858-270-4904 or visit All Coast Dental and fill out a contact sheet.

 

 

TMD and Autoimmune Diseases

All Coast Dental in Pacific Beach is proud to provide for the general dental needs for all kinds of patients. One problem with implications for patients’ dental stability, sensitivity, and function is temporomandibular joint disorder. Also known as TMD, temporomandibular joint disorder is especially common in people who suffer from autoimmune disorders such as rheumatism and lupus, and compounds their other oral health problems.

The temporomandibular joints are what connect the lower jaw to the head. They are complex joints, able to move in all directions, and we need them to be able to speak and chew correctly. When people clench their jaw, their teeth may be ground down and pushed out of place. The loss of enamel would leave their teeth less protected from heat and decay, and their jaw would be sore.

When a person has an autoimmune disease, their own immune system attacks their body. In people with rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, the immune system is attacking the lining of the temporomandibular joints, triggering inflammation. A rheumatologist can provide assistance by prescribing anti-inflammatory medications, but our dental office can also shield the teeth from grinding. We’ll fit the patient for a night guard, which is an oral appliance worn in the mouth at night to hold the jaw in place and prevent the teeth from rubbing together. We can also teach stretching exercises that will loosen the jaw, and provide prosthetic replacements for damaged teeth.

Drs. Julie and Joseph Boulos operate All Coast Dental at 2180 Garnet Ave, Suite 1-K, Pacific Beach, California, 92109. To schedule an appointment, call 858-270-4904 or visit All Coast Dental and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Alzheimer's Disease and Gum Infections

If you want to protect yourself from Alzheimer’s disease, one of the most important things you can do is brush and floss. That’s the conclusion that’s emerging from new research into the connection between oral bacteria and the formation of plaque on the brain’s neurons. We’ve always been interested in the overall health implications of periodontal disease at All Coast Dental in Pacific Beach. We want our patients to have a fuller understanding of what gum disease does, too.

There are several species of bacteria that contribute to tooth decay and gum disease, but one called Porphyromonas gingivalis, is especially interesting to researchers. P. gingivalis produce enzymes called gingipains to defend themselves against white blood cells. Although gingipains are common, they are found at elevated levels in the brains and spinal fluid of people who displayed symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. They also trigger the production of neural plaque and can travel to the brain in animals.

Another study, released just a few months ago, proved that P. gingivalis travels between the mouth and the brain in living human test subjects. Although gum disease is probably not the only causative factor in Alzheimer’s disease, we can confidently say it plays a major part. Patients should take care to brush and floss twice a day. If they are still experiencing gingivitis, we can provide them with a deep cleaning.

Drs. Julie and Joseph Boulos operate All Coast Dental at 2180 Garnet Ave, Suite 1-K, Pacific Beach, California, 92109. To schedule an appointment, call 858-270-4904 or visit All Coast Dental and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Diabetes and Gum Disease

Do you know why diabetes is of particular interest to dentists? At All Coast Dental in Pacific Beach, we regularly see people suffering from gingivitis, also known as inflammation of the gums. Although oral hygiene is necessary to prevent it, people with diabetes have particular struggles with gum disease and need extra care.

When people with diabetes have uncontrolled blood sugar, their immune systems are less effective at defeating infections. Gum disease is a bacterial infection of the gum pockets, the parts of the gum tissue that cling to tooth roots. When the immune system detects disease, it triggers the inflammatory response, which isolates the bacteria and makes cell walls more permeable to chemicals that summon white blood cells. But inflammation also causes pain and discoloration, and if the infection is prolonged, chronic inflammation will weaken the integrity of the body’s tissues. It is less clear why high blood sugar makes the immune system less effective, although it could be due to the blood vessels becoming less permeable to nutrients.

Recent studies have shown that the presence of gum disease causes blood sugar to rise. This would create a vicious circle in diabetic patients, but it can be disrupted by dental treatment. At regular cleanings, we scrape decayed material out of patients’ gum pockets, preventing gingivitis from beginning. If you have diabetes and have noticed that your gums are red or bleeding, we encourage you to come in without delay.

Drs. Julie and Joseph Boulos operate All Coast Dental at 2180 Garnet Ave, Suite 1-K, Pacific Beach, California, 92109. To schedule an appointment, call 858-270-4904 or visit All Coast Dental and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Rheumatoid Arthritis and Bleeding Gums

Our compassionate, nonjudgmental care at All Coast Dental is based on recognizing the unique oral health needs of our patients. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a condition which puts patients at increased risk for gum disease, and in order to help them get the best care, we want to help them understand why they experience gingivitis so frequently.

A Johns Hopkins study recently found that 70% of people with RA have gum disease. People whose arthritis has advanced have difficulty using ordinary toothbrushes and floss, but the high rates of gingivitis among people whose disease had not reached an advanced stage suggests a bigger problem than poor hygiene. RA is the result of the body’s immune system attacking synovium, which is a tissue that lines the joints, causing it to painfully swell. Another study recently found that synovium has a similar cellular structure to gum tissue, indicating that the diseases might share a common cause.

RA is the result of genetic and environmental factors. One of the most important steps people can take to prevent it is to not smoke. If a patient is suffering from RA-related gum disease, we can instruct them on the use of electric toothbrushes and water picks that will allow them to maintain their oral hygiene more easily.

Drs. Julie and Joseph Boulos operate All Coast Dental at 2180 Garnet Ave, Suite 1-K, Pacific Beach, California, 92109. To schedule an appointment, call 858-270-4904 or visit All Coast Dental and fill out a contact sheet.