Dental care

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Jenny65

Jenny65

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
I havent been to a dentist in quite a while, but lucky that my teeth are reasonably good and no toothache, when my last dentist retired I couldnt find an NHS dentist and sort of left it.

My daughter has recently been to a dentist for a recurrent infection in a wisdom tooth, she needs to have her tooth out. Some of the comments the dentist made to her about plaque build-up etc has persuaded me to bite the bullet and get a private dentist. My question is, will I need to tell my dentist I am diabetic, are the any implications for procedures, in case I need more than a scale and polish, my gums do bleed easily, which is another reason I am making the choice to see one. Just wondered, if like eyes and feet there is any issue with dental care when you have diabetes.
 
Jenny65 said:
I havent been to a dentist in quite a while, but lucky that my teeth are reasonably good and no toothache, when my last dentist retired I couldnt find an NHS dentist and sort of left it.

My daughter has recently been to a dentist for a recurrent infection in a wisdom tooth, she needs to have her tooth out. Some of the comments the dentist made to her about plaque build-up etc has persuaded me to bite the bullet and get a private dentist. My question is, will I need to tell my dentist I am diabetic, are the any implications for procedures, in case I need more than a scale and polish, my gums do bleed easily, which is another reason I am making the choice to see one. Just wondered, if like eyes and feet there is any issue with dental care when you have diabetes.
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Oral hygiene is important as a diabetic as the bacteria that normally inhabit your mouth love a sugary environment as does the yeast which causes thrush which you can get in the mouth.
Your dentist will take a medical history including any medications. So, they will be aware of your diabetes and recommend treatment accordingly.
 
Leadinglights said:
Oral hygiene is important as a diabetic as the bacteria that normally inhabit your mouth love a sugary environment as does the yeast which causes thrush which you can get in the mouth.
Your dentist will take a medical history including any medications. So, they will be aware of your diabetes and recommend treatment accordingly.
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Mine since the pandemic send a text to a link to update every visit.
 
My dentist asked if I had any other medical conditions and I had no problem telling them I have diabetes.
lt makes no difference to my treatment but helps explain some issues in the past when I had higher BG such as gingivitis.
 
High blood sugar can lead to gum disease, which is what I had last year before diagnosed. Dentists can actually be the first people to suspect T2 but they are apparently missing many of the signs in n people these days.
 
Hope it goes well @Jenny65 and you manage to find a good one.

Might be worth looking for an NHS dentist in case things have changed in the interim? Though I think there’s a lack taking on new patients at the moment :(
 
Jenny65 said:
I havent been to a dentist in quite a while, but lucky that my teeth are reasonably good and no toothache, when my last dentist retired I couldnt find an NHS dentist and sort of left it.

My daughter has recently been to a dentist for a recurrent infection in a wisdom tooth, she needs to have her tooth out. Some of the comments the dentist made to her about plaque build-up etc has persuaded me to bite the bullet and get a private dentist. My question is, will I need to tell my dentist I am diabetic, are the any implications for procedures, in case I need more than a scale and polish, my gums do bleed easily, which is another reason I am making the choice to see one. Just wondered, if like eyes and feet there is any issue with dental care when you have diabetes.
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Unfortunately the answer is yes. If sugars aren't managed and are too high it can cause major problems with gums. My dentist is wonderful and is aware of my diagnosis and checks regularly for gum problems. Sigh. I recently has a problem with one area of bleeding gums that concerned the dentist. But it turned out to be a build up of plaque and a lesson in how to thoroughly clean my teeth was provided. The problem was resolved by the next check up.
 
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Unfortunately diabetes does affect oral hygiene, as others have said, high BGs make a nice environment for bacteria, meaning a build up of plaque which causes gum irritation and eventually receding gums. Your dentist should ask about any relevant medical history and any long term medicines being taken at each visit, but if they don’t it is worth mentioning your diabetes and meds so they are aware and can help and advise you appropriately.

However, with improved BG control you can help prevent issues. I see my hygienist every 3 months (under Denplan insurance) to keep things under control and in between visits try to be as thorough as possible with brushing, using interdental brushes and mouth washes. I also have asthma and the steroid inhalers make yeast infections common, so rinsing out my mouth after the inhaler helps as does using an anti-fungal gel from time to time. I did see in some NICE document somewhere that periodontitis (gum disease) is a common “complication” of diabetes.

I think if you do your best to control BG and are diligent with oral hygiene then it will minimise any issues. Hope you get on ok! Teeth are one of my anxiety triggers and I try to tackle it rather than ignore as I know in the long run it is better to deal with anything as soon as possible. Hopefully I haven’t put you off!
 
Those little interdental brushes have made a big difference to my gum health.... along with low carb higher fat way of eating, which seems to have really strengthened my teeth.... just as well considering how many pork scratchings I eat 🙄
 
rebrascora said:
Those little interdental brushes have made a big difference to my gum health.... along with low carb higher fat way of eating, which seems to have really strengthened my teeth.... just as well considering how many pork scratchings I eat 🙄
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Only started using those brushes last year having previously used floss, yes they do make a huge difference, dentist recommended them.
 
Eternal422 said:
Unfortunately diabetes does affect oral hygiene, as others have said, high BGs make a nice environment for bacteria, meaning a build up of plaque which causes gum irritation and eventually receding gums. Your dentist should ask about any relevant medical history and any long term medicines being taken at each visit, but if they don’t it is worth mentioning your diabetes and meds so they are aware and can help and advise you appropriately.

However, with improved BG control you can help prevent issues. I see my hygienist every 3 months (under Denplan insurance) to keep things under control and in between visits try to be as thorough as possible with brushing, using interdental brushes and mouth washes. I also have asthma and the steroid inhalers make yeast infections common, so rinsing out my mouth after the inhaler helps as does using an anti-fungal gel from time to time. I did see in some NICE document somewhere that periodontitis (gum disease) is a common “complication” of diabetes.

I think if you do your best to control BG and are diligent with oral hygiene then it will minimise any issues. Hope you get on ok! Teeth are one of my anxiety triggers and I try to tackle it rather than ignore as I know in the long run it is better to deal with anything as soon as possible. Hopefully I haven’t put you off!
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I have Denplan but wincing at the renewal cost £60 per month so seriously thinking about going NHS.
We have a water flosser which is very good as well as the interdental brushes.
 
Leadinglights said:
I have Denplan but wincing at the renewal cost £60 per month so seriously thinking about going NHS.
We have a water flosser which is very good as well as the interdental brushes.
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Ouch! £60 is steep. I’m paying £30 at the moment, but even if it increased I think I’d stick with it as getting an NHS dentist is like finding hen’s teeth 😉
 
Eternal422 said:
Ouch! £60 is steep. I’m paying £30 at the moment, but even if it increased I think I’d stick with it as getting an NHS dentist is like finding hen’s teeth 😉
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I have been in the Denplan scheme for a long time and that is what is started off at about 30 years ago but has gone up bit by bit every year.
I did feel I had good value from it but recently I'm not so sure, check-ups went down from every 4 months to every 6 months and of course didn't happen during Covid.
I can't believe that NHS treatment would cost me £720 in a year.
 
Leadinglights said:
I have been in the Denplan scheme for a long time and that is what is started off at about 30 years ago but has gone up bit by bit every year.
I did feel I had good value from it but recently I'm not so sure, check-ups went down from every 4 months to every 6 months and of course didn't happen during Covid.
I can't believe that NHS treatment would cost me £720 in a year.
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Only if you needed multiple crowns/root canal treatments. It is finding an NHS dentist though, recently availability seems to have dropped further, so might be worth checking if you can get one before deciding about cancelling Denplan
 
Leadinglights said:
I have been in the Denplan scheme for a long time and that is what is started off at about 30 years ago but has gone up bit by bit every year.
I did feel I had good value from it but recently I'm not so sure, check-ups went down from every 4 months to every 6 months and of course didn't happen during Covid.
I can't believe that NHS treatment would cost me £720 in a year.
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Fair point, I can’t imagine NHS treatment would be anywhere near £720, on my Denplan I have to pay for any lab work, such as crowns, it’s just the hygienist every 3 months and dentist checkups every 6 months plus any work the dentist does such as fillings, that are included. I think hygienist visits are around £60 on the NHS, but not sure, even so you wouldn’t be spending that much I suppose.
 
I'm NHS at the dentist, but I pay for a private scale and polish in between my NHS checkups for £40 a pop.
 
We go to an NHS dentist and I've seen a hygienist a couple of times - @ £50 a visit. There, you have to pay half up front when you book it!
 
Over the past year, dental services have grown due to the crisis and the price of materials. It is difficult to imagine how much inflation will be by spring and how it will affect the population's finances. Therefore, if you decide to contact a specialist now, this is a wise decision. Dentists should always report any chronic diseases so that they can prescribe safe medications. Everything that is prescribed to me, I usually buy in www.mcdaidpharmacy.ie. I have heard that dentists in some clinics ask for payment for an hour of work, not the procedure. I don't know how much more profitable it is, but many people use their services.
 
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