Continue practicing the Five Essential Habits, Portion Control, Eating to Your Meter, Incorporating Intermittent Fasting, Reducing Stress, and Getting Adequate Sleep every day/night. Also, practice good Diabetic Foot Care every day.

Having diabetes is a major risk factor for developing periodontal (gum) disease, especially when blood glucose isn’t well controlled. One large study found about 60 percent of people with diabetes have some evidence of periodontal disease. Diabetes is the leading cause of periodontal disease. People with diabetes (both type 1 and type 2) experience three times greater risk of periodontal disease than non-diabetics.

Goals/Objectives: To make and keep appointments for routine and special dental care, as needed, and to practice daily oral hygiene as instructed by your dentist.

Time Frames:

• • Brush and floss twice a day
  • Dental cleaning twice a year
  • Dental x-rays annually

One procedure that isn’t mentioned much is using mouthwash after brushing. Does mouthwash work? The experts say, yes, “a short 30-second mouthwash investment can result in a clear reduction in dental issues such as plaque and gingivitis.”

However, along with consistent oral hygiene, the best way that you can prevent diabetes-related complications in your dental health is to maintain optimal control over your blood sugar levels. Read our article, “Dental Health for Diabetics,” and feel free to peruse the References given after the article.

Then watch an informative 10-minute video, “Dental Care For Diabetics.- Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes University” (January 2015)

The next blog post will be about diabetic eye health.

---

NOTE: We are in the process of moving the Adventist Vegetarian Diabetics™ blog to its own domain (adventistvegetariandiabetics.com) instead of a subdomain to Hegarty Services (adventistvegetariandiabetics.hegartyservices.com). We hope to have this completed by the first week in May. So we are asking you to please subscribe to this blog at https://adventistvegetariandiabetics.com/blog-posts/ before that time.