When Diabetes Becomes Visible in the Mouth
Teeth tell stories: of habits, of stress, of too much sweetener or too little floss. But sometimes they reveal something deeper a body that’s fallen out of balance, a derailed sugar metabolism. And you can see it in the gums.
People with diabetes especially when their blood sugar is poorly controlled have a markedly higher risk of periodontitis, a chronic inflammation of the tooth-supporting structures. That’s no coincidence; it’s biochemically logical.
High blood-sugar levels weaken the tiny blood vessels including those in the gums. Circulation suffers and the tissue becomes more vulnerable. At the same time, the immune system responds sluggishly, and inflammation lingers. And the bacteria that cause periodontitis thrive on sugar both figuratively and literally.
The strange thing is that periodontitis often develops painlessly. You don’t notice it until teeth begin to loosen or the gums recede, and by then the damage can be severe. Even worse, a vicious cycle sets in: poor blood-sugar control promotes periodontitis, and the chronic inflammation of periodontitis in turn worsens blood-sugar regulation.
This means that dentistry is an integral part of diabetes care not just as supportive hygiene, but as a diagnostic window. The condition of the gums can reveal whether a patient’s sugar levels are well regulated.
So how often does this really happen? How often do dentists and general practitioners communicate? How often do we treat the gums as a monitor?
The bitter truth: too rarely.
And yet the solution is simple: regular check-ups, consistent oral hygiene, and an understanding that the body is a system in which everything is connected.
