Diabetes

What Is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic condition that prevents your body from correctly using blood sugar, also called glucose. In a healthy person, the pancreas produces insulin to help cells absorb the glucose in your blood and burn it for energy. Those with diabetes, however, cannot produce or use insulin peoperly, which causes glucose to build up. Having too much glucose in your blood can lead to a range of health problems, including blood disease, kidney damage, nerve damage, vision loss, and more.

Diabetes is a common condition, with about 20% of all health care dollars spent on managing and treating it. That's over $245 billion each year. While there is no known cure for the disease, you can help manage and reduce its health impact through early diagnosis and treatment.

What Are the Signs of Diabetes?

If you have any of the following symptoms, you should see a doctor about your glucose levels:

  • Frequent urination
  • Unwanted weight gain
  • Excessive thirst or hunger
  • Tingling in the hands or feet
  • Blurry vision
  • Fatigue

Diabetes and the Mouth-Body Connection

Many risk factors are associated with diabetes and oral health. Diabetes can affect your oral health by increasing the level of harmful bacteria in your gums, resulting in periodontal disease. Gum inflammation can also damage the pancreas, where insulin is produced, which can potentially lead to or worsen diabetes.

As a result, nonsurgical periodontal treatment is vital for patients with type-2 diabetes as a way to improve your health outcomes and reduce your healthcare costs.

Periodontal treatment and maintenance can help type-2 diabetes patients achieve:

  • 39% fewer annual hospitalizations
  • 34% reduction in tooth loss
  • 20% fewer cases of microvascular disease
  • 9% lower overall medical costs

Diabetes Treatment

For patients concerned about how to prevent diabetes, Sahara Health Group provides complete diabetes diagnosis and treatment services. We also work closely with our partners at Sahara Modern Dentistry to deliver the comprehensive mouth-body treatment you need to achieve whole-body health.