At Bite Dental we are passionate about educating our Brisbane patients about the link between diabetes and dental health.
We formulate an in-depth treatment plan that keeps your teeth in the best of health. You may not know this, but your dental and general health are intertwined, and we can even diagnose you by the condition of your mouth, gums and teeth. This forms a large part of our dedication to providing our patients with a service centred on improving your overall wellbeing, not just your teeth.
We go above and beyond the call of ordinary dentistry practices to ensure you are educated on the important link between diabetes and dentistry. The importance of a regular dental check-up takes on a much greater significance when you suffer from diabetes; and we can diagnose and treat concerns as and when they become apparent.
The Connection Between Diabetes and Dentistry
Gum disease is a fairly common concern among patients and it does require a thorough treatment plan in order to correct it. Naturally, if you suffer from diabeties you need to be extra careful when it comes to your health and the things that can affect it negatively. The regulation of your blood glucose is the best place to start in order to address your gum disease and the complications associated with it. Here at Bite Dental, we will schedule you in for an appointment where you will receive a full gum measurement and check regardless of whether or not you suffer with diabetes.
Recent studies show an increase of diabetes in Australians and around 4% of us are diagnosed with diabetes at some point in our lives. The Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study states “Australia has rapidly rising prevalence of diabetes. The prevalence of abnormal glucose tolerance in Australia is one of the highest yet reported from a developed nation”. This is why we are treating you as a whole patient and not just your teeth, we now understand the connection between dental health and chronic diseases.
So, when you come to us for a general check-up, our comprehensive review will take into account your medical history as we seek to address your oral health and its connection to your overall wellbeing. We will educate you on the finer points of diabetes dentistry and how diabetes affects oral health, we will also provide you not only with everyday dental tips but dental tips for patients suffering with diabetes as well.
Why Is Diabetes So Concerning?
One of the most concerning things about diabetes is that it can last you your whole life, or a large portion of it. For proper function, our bodies need to be able to convert sugar from food into energy. using a hormone called insulin. This is essential for the absorption of glucose into the cells. Diabetes means that this hormone isn’t produced in the required amounts by the body and when we eat foods where glucose is present such as cereals, fruit and some vegetables, we can’t convert it into energy. The glucose then stays in the blood which causes a condition known as hyperglycaemia. Studies have shown hyperglycaemia to reduce the function of immune cells and increases inflammation. This can put patients in danger of contracting infections which the body is then unable to deal with effectively.
The Bite Dental Risk Assessment Program
We understand better than most the importance of dental health in combatting the effects of diabetes. This is why we have developed a free screening program that we hope will identify existing risk factors in our patients. Our 20-minute consultation will include an OPG radiograph and detailed medical history review to provide you with superior care and deeper understanding of all our patients.
To make an appointment or to learn more about our unique approach to diabetes dentistry, please click here.