People don’t often realize that diabetic gum disease is one of the most common complications of diabetes. According to Diabetes.co.uk, an estimated one-third of all diabetics will suffer from diabetic gum disease at some stage of their disease. Keeping your blood sugar levels on target, routinely visiting your dentist, and practicing good self-care will help you to avoid oral issues in diabetes.

Blood glucose levels which are not strictly managed lead to higher than usual glucose levels in the mouth’s fluids. We all remember hearing that sugar rots our teeth when we were young, diabetic gum disease and other oral problems work by the same principles. When there are higher-than-usual sugar levels in the mouth it encourages the growth of gum disease-causing bacteria.

Another way that diabetic gum disease comes about is damage to the blood vessels. In diabetes the structure of the body’s blood vessels are often altered. This …