The Dental Challenges of Diabetes

Good dental care is important for everyone, but in particular people who struggle against diabetes. Our Bellevue dental clinic cautions such people to be especially careful with their teeth, for their condition puts them at greater risk of periodontal problems.

Diabetes causes poor blood circulation, which hinders your ability to resist infections. It also means that your saliva frequently becomes saturated with glucose, which cultivates the growth of harmful bacteria in your mouth. Therefore, compared to a person with a controlled blood sugar level, diabetics are highly susceptible to tooth decay and gum disease.

To make things worse, gum disease can further aggravate your blood sugar level. Diabetic patients with gum disease need more medication to regulate their condition, and their blood sugar becomes more manageable only after their gum disease is brought under control.

It’s a vicious cycle, and the best way to defend yourself from it is to maintain strict oral hygiene. If you are a diabetic, contact your dentist to learn more about its implications on your oral health.

On Guard for Stealthy Sugar

If our Bellevue dentist asked you if you knew the causes of tooth decay, you’d probably have an answer ready. You’re sure to know that candies, gums, sodas, and other sweet-tasting foods are the biggest no-no’s of dental hygiene. Unfortunately, this is only the tip of the iceberg.

Agents of tooth rot can be hiding where you least suspect them. Many people assume that only junk food poses any particular threat to their teeth, but this is far from true. Fruit is one of the sneaker sources of sugar; though fruit is a valuable part of your diet, even whole, all-natural fruit can be just as hard on your teeth as certain sweets. This is especially true for fruit juices and dried fruit.

Another unfortunate antagonist is your cough drop. Many medicinal items like this are packed with sugar, and a minute or two of sucking on one can quickly turn your mouth into a bacterial free-for-all. So, after relieving that pain in your throat, be sure to rinse!

Dealing With Canker Sores

Some people come to our Bellevue dentist with concerns about their canker sores. What are they? How do you get rid of them? The answers are never easy, because nobody is entirely sure what causes these sores. However, if the pain is bothering you, there are measures you can take to combat these oral nuisances.

Canker sores can generally be linked to irritation of the tissues in the mouth. You will therefore want to prevent further aggravation towards these tissues by keeping away from anything that might poke, burn, or irritate the area. This can mean avoiding certain foods, particularly acidic ones like citrus fruits. It also means cutting back on activities like gum chewing, which increases your risk of biting down on the sore.

The pain from a canker sore shouldn’t generally last longer than a few days, and the sore should heal completely within two weeks. If it persists longer than this, or if it is a particularly large or painful sore, then greater action may be called for. Contact your dentist about such sores.

Other Services Available

A good dentist needs to be able to do more than just clean your teeth and fill your cavities. This is why Overlake Dental’s Bellevue dentist is prepared to serve you with a selection of other services designed to assure our patients the best possible oral health.

VELscope Oral Cancer Screening

Oral cancer, though a relatively uncommon form of cancer, has an unfortunately high death rate. Fortunately, if it is discovered in its early stages, the patient’s chances of survival are very good. This is why Dr. Yu offers VELscope Oral Cancer Screening at his practice to perform a much more thorough assessment of your mouth and oral health as part of your regular dental visit.

The VELscope exam helps us identify normal and abnormal tissues by visualizing any abnormalities in the mucosal tissues of the lips, mouth, and upper throat within a few minutes. Call us at 425-453-9999 to learn more about the VELscope Oral Cancer Screening process.
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Dental Implants

If you have a single missing tooth or several missing teeth, you may be self-conscious about your smile. Even if you are missing teeth in the back of your mouth, the lost tooth can adversely affect your ability to chew and also cause deterioration of the jawbone. This is why missing teeth must be treated as soon as possible, and Bellevue dentist Dr. Yu may recommend dental implants to fill the gaps in your smile.

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