Diabetes and Gum Disease

Bleeding gums are not healthy. If you have them, we want you to come to Elite Dental Arts in Midtown for help. Gingivitis is unfortunately common, but there is one group that is at particular risk: people with diabetes. In people with high blood sugar, not only do infections last longer, the infections further exacerbate their difficulty controlling glucose.

Gingivitis, or gum inflammation, is the immune system’s initial response to infection.  It isolates the disease-causing agents and floods the area with white blood cells. This process weakens the walls of the gum tissue cells and can be harmful if the inflammation becomes chronic. For reasons that are not entirely clear but are probably related to hardened blood vessels, people with high blood sugar are prone to more inflammation and have a harder time resisting infections. When gum infections reach an advanced stage, called periodontal disease, they may cause recession of gum and bone tissue, allowing the teeth to come loose.

People with diabetes have to be especially careful about their oral hygiene. Fortunately, during regular dental visits, we can provide deep cleanings in the gum pockets, where patients cannot reach. Studies have shown that people with periodontal infections suffer increased glucose levels, but that when gum disease is treated, people’s diabetes symptoms improve.

Nick M. Mobilia, DDS
ELITE DENTAL ARTS
9 East 45th Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10017

 

Sleep Apnea and Diabetes

Elite Dental Arts in Midtown provides patients with treatments for a wide variety of conditions, including obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This disorder is extremely disruptive to a patient’s mental health and overall functioning and it particularly impacts people with diabetes.

OSA is the result of a person’s throat tissues sagging into their airways. This causes the person to wake up or be taken out of deep sleep several times in a night. People who are overweight are at greater risk for OSA. Metabolic disorders such as diabetes make people more likely to be overweight, but there is some evidence that OSA worsens diabetes symptoms, too. When sleep is disrupted, the liver produces more glucose, which can cause blood sugar to spike.

Where does the dentist come in? At Elite Dental Arts, we provide oral appliances that help keep the wearer’s jaw in place at night. This reduces the likelihood of their soft tissues obstructing their airways, sparing them the effects of sleep apnea. It also prevents them from grinding their teeth at night, which eliminates a source of stress which further disrupts their sleep.

To learn more about Invisalign and all the services we provide at our practice, visit Elite Dental Arts for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Nick Mobilia of Elite Dental Arts here in New York, NY, call our office at 212-681-0939. 

Nick M. Mobilia, DDS
ELITE DENTAL ARTS
9 East 45th Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10017

(212)681-0939