Except a miracle happens, diabetes is a life-long disease. The best way to avoid it is to prevent yourself from developing it. But then, if you have the condition, there’s no sitting down and wishing it never happened or indulging in self-pity. Physicians say once an individual is
confirmed as being diabetic, the best thing s/he can do is to enroll for
medical care under a competent doctor in order to prevent complications
from setting in.
Diabetologist/Medical Director of
Rainbow Specialist Hospital, Dr. Afokoghene Isiavwe, warns that diabetes
is not a condition that any individual can manage at home. Rather, she
says, it’s a life-long condition that needs expert, life-long care if
the patient must live quality life.
Isiavwe says diabetes comes with sack loads of issues which, if well managed, may not result in life-threatening complications. Of course, having diabetes is
life-threatening enough, experts lament; but they are quick to say that
if you take practical steps by accessing good care, you can reduce the
complications for which diabetes is notorious.
What is diabetes?
Isiavwe says an individual is said to be
diabetic when the amount of glucose in the blood is too high because
the body cannot use it properly. Blood flows through every part of the
body, because it is the fuel that keeps us alive. The day blood-flow to
an organ ceases, that organ dies, literally.
The body needs healthy, untainted blood,
to function optimally. But because of too much sugar in the blood —
which causes diabetes in the first place — the body is inhibited from
functioning properly.
Diabetes is one ill health that courses
through the entire body because it resides in the blood. As such, it is
capable of taking along every organ and nerves in the body in its
downward trend.
Isiavwe says when diabetes complications
set in, they could affect the eyes (retinopathy), heart (cardiovascular
disease), kidneys (nephropathy), and nerves and feet (neuropathy).
But an important part of the body that this condition also affects is the mouth.
General Practitioner, Dr. Ireti Majebi, says diabetes puts you at risk for dental problems.
“It impairs the body’s ability to fight
bacteria in your mouth. High blood sugar encourages bacteria to grow and
this largely contributes to gum disease,” Majebi notes.
Gum disease is easy to diagnose because the symptoms are unmistakable, experts say.
Symptoms include red gums that are sore,
bleeding, or swollen. Sometimes, the condition makes the gum to pull
away from the teeth, leading to loose teeth. Indeed, if you dither too
much about your care, you may lose substantial number of teeth, or
possibly become toothless!
Of course, the possibility of developing
chronic bad breath is also there, making you socially obnoxious to
those who come near you. Nobody wants this, hence the need to take care
of your mouth the way you monitor you blood sugar.
Dental care is a must
The average Nigerian doesn’t see the
need to visit a dentist; and in a lifetime, an individual may not have
had a professional examine his teeth. A diabetic person doesn’t have
this ‘luxury.’
Professor of Conservation Dentistry at
the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Oluniyi Olusile, counsels a
diabetic person to get dental check-ups at least twice a year.
The truth is that diabetes puts you at a
higher risk of fungal infections such as thrush and mouth sores. These
conditions don’t heal easily, experts warn, hence the need to prevent
them from occurring at all. Worse, experts say, is the fact that
mouth infections in diabetics put them at higher risks of developing
heart disease, such as high blood pressure and abnormal cholesterol.
Olusile says once your dentist knows
that you are diabetic, he knows the relevant oral care to provide, and
it will definitely include professional cleaning that will rid your
mouth of infection; while your physician will also give you the
nitty-gritty of at-home oral self-care.
Most people only clean their teeth in
the morning, though dentists would have us do it twice daily: first
thing in the morning and last thing before we sleep. However, a diabetic
can’t limit teeth cleaning to once daily. Rather, physicians say, you
must endeavour to brush your teeth twice daily, so as to control the
possibility of oral infection that can happen because of high blood
sugar.
Of course, smoking is bad for everyone; but when you are diabetic, it is a no-go area!
Olusile says in the case of a diabetic
person, tobacco use can damage gum tissue and cause receding gums; just
as it can also speed up bone and tissue loss, leading to teeth loss,
facial disfigurement and the attendant social stigma.
To prevent all these, don’t smoke; and if you already do, stop smoking.
Eat healthy
Under normal circumstances, your food
passes through your mouth before it reaches your stomach and,
eventually, every part of your body.
That is why you must eat balanced diet
that will not only make for steady blood sugar level, but which will not
allow bacteria to colonise your mouth.
Nutritionists say much of our
traditional foods are okay for you if you eat them in proper combination
of carbohydrates, protein and fats; and also if you reduce the
quantity.
However, you are warned against
indulging in sticky and sugary foods such as ice cream, yoghurt or
sweets. In short, if you are diabetic, processed (fast) foods are not
for you.
But then, we are human. So, if ever you do eat any of these foods, brush your teeth properly afterwards.
