This blog post is part of a series of Total Health Dental Care articles to inform our readers about the connection between your oral health and your overall health.

It’s called the “Mouth-Body Connection,” and it means that poor dental health can severely deteriorate your body, especially your lungs and heart, and it can also lead to a host of other conditions including Alzheimer’s disease and even some Cancers.

So, how is Diabetes related to your mouth?

If you have gum disease you’re sending bacteria and inflammation by-products through your blood vessels, damaging the vessels and exacerbating your diabetes condition.

The startling news is that 80% of people have Gum Disease and DO NOT KNOW IT! There is usually no pain involved for people until extremely late in the degeneration. Many gum problems will go unnoticed until they are diagnosed by a dentist.

Additionally, this is how gum disease affects Diabetics:

1. Uncontrolled Type II Diabetics are at a higher risk for gum disease.
2. Severe gum disease can affect blood sugar.
3. Diabetics have a decreased ability to fight bacteria that invade the gums.
4. Medication can cause dry mouth which can cause soreness, ulcers, infections and cavities.
5. A dry mouth can exacerbate the side effects of diabetes, which will then lead to an increase in glucose levels, wreaking havoc on the body.
6. Having a dry mouth, especially as a diabetic, can lead to rampant tooth decay, which means blood sugar increases as the body tries, and fails, to fight infection.
7. Sometimes if the blood glucose levels are higher than they should be, the result is dry mouth.

Your gums are the “foundation of your house” and if the foundation crumbles, the house crumbles with it. *

Medications and Dry Mouth

Medications that treat high blood pressure or other heart problems, including diuretics, are often used by many patients to manage complications of diabetes.  A very common side effect of these medications is Dry Mouth.

The combination of two or more of these medications dramatically increase dry-mouth effects.

Dry mouth is a growing problem in dentistry.  On a daily basis, Dr. Korenman and his staff see patients who suffer from dry mouth and the issues associated with dry mouth including tooth decay, gum disease and mouth sores.

The Good News for Diabetes Patients

The good news is that Dr. Korenman and his team are dedicated to educating the public about the dangers of gum disease and they check all their patients for it.

If you are diagnosed with gum disease, Dr. Korenman can design a treatment plan to help you overcome it and then to keep it under control.

Additionally, if you suffer from Dry Mouth, Dr. Korenman provides the following tips for treating this dangerous condition:

• Swish with water in addition to drinking it.
• Chew sugarless gum.
• Patients with dry mouth should have regular dental checkups with Dr. Korenman and his staff for evaluation and treatment. Please bring up-to-date medication list with you to your appointment at Loveable Smiles.

We urge you to call Loveable Smiles for your Total Health Dental Care appointment at 972-231-0585.

This is just one of many examples of how we treat people, not just teeth.

#DiabetesMonth

#ThisIsDiabetes

Dry Mouth is a side effect of popular heart medications including:

• Blood pressure medications
• Anti-depression/Anti-Anxiety
• Diuretics
• Cholesterol medication

If you take any type of heart medication, it’s very important for you to take care of your dental health because Dry Mouth can lead to the following:

• Tooth decay
• Gum disease, including bacterial infections.
• Fungal infections
• Mouth sores
• Bad breath

If you are experiencing dry mouth as a side effect of your medication, please call Loveable Smiles at 972-231-0585

Dry Mouth is not a disease, but a symptom of a medical disorder and/or most commonly, a side effect of popular medications including:
• Blood pressure medications
• Anti-depression/Anti-Anxiety
• Cholesterol Fighters
• Pain killers
• Antihistamines/Decongestants
• Even neurological medications for treatment of ADHD.

Dr. Korenman is the first in Dallas/Ft. Worth to offer this breakthrough laser treatment for Dry Mouth.

This is the first treatment that actually deals with the problem of Dry Mouth itself and not just the symptoms.

Using a painless laser procedure this treatment quickly and easily re-stimulates saliva glands.

The treatment is painless, simple and quick.

If you would like to find out more about this phenomenal treatment, please call us and schedule an appointment for you or a loved one. 972-231-0585

Learn about the dangers of Dry Mouth here.

Dr. Larry Korenman is dedicated to improving your overall health through dentistry.

It’s called the “Mouth-Body Connection,” and it means that poor dental health can severely deteriorate your body, especially your lungs and heart, and it can also lead to a host to other conditions including migraines, Alzheimer’s disease and even some Cancers.

Poor dental health is often caused by gum disease.

80% of people have Gum Disease and DO NOT KNOW IT! There is usually no pain involved for people until extremely late in the degeneration. Many gum problems will go unnoticed until they are diagnosed by a dentist.

Dr. Korenman and his team are dedicated to educating the public about the dangers of gum disease and they check all their patients for it.

If you are diagnosed with gum disease, Dr. Korenman can design a treatment plan to help you keep it under control.

We urge you to call Loveable Smiles for your Total Health Dental Care appointment where we will check you for gum disease at 972-231-0585.

If you take medication for heart disease you are probably experiencing a very dangerous side effect: Dry Mouth.

Dry Mouth is a side effect of popular heart medications including:

• Blood pressure medications
• Anti-depression/Anti-Anxiety
• Diuretics
• Cholesterol medication

The combination of two or more of these medications dramatically increases dry-mouth effects.

If you take any type of heart medication, it’s very important for you to take care of your dental health because Dry Mouth can lead to the following:

• Tooth decay
• Gum disease, including bacterial infections.
• Fungal infections
• Mouth sores
• Bad breath

Additionally several theories exist to explain the link between periodontal (gum) disease and heart disease.

1. Oral bacteria can affect the heart via the blood stream and then attaching to fatty plaques in the coronary arteries (heart blood vessels) and contributing to clot formation.
2. Another possibility is that the inflammation caused by periodontal (gum) disease increases plaque buildup, which may contribute to swelling of the arteries.

Researchers have found that people with gum disease are almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease.

Treating Dry Mouth

While there isn’t any cure for dry mouth, the sooner it gets diagnosed the less damage it does to your teeth.  Here are some tips for treating your dry mouth.

• Korenman highly recommends Effervess Oral Care products, which can help relieve the symptoms of dry mouth caused by medications. (Available at Loveable Smiles and Amazon.) The line includes toothpaste and a whitening gel.
• Swish with water in addition to drinking it.
• Chew sugarless gum.
• Patients with dry mouth should have regular dental checkups with Dr. Korenman and his staff for evaluation and treatment. Please bring up-to-date medication list with you to your appointment at Loveable Smiles.

If you are experiencing a dry mouth as a side effect of your medication, please call Loveable Smiles at 972-231-0585

Because chemo can make your mouth more at risk for infection as well as make your gums bleed more easily, fluoride is used to help prevent the formation of cavities.

Please call Loveable Smiles in Richardson. 972-231-0585

Dr. Korenman has even seen a large part of a tooth break off with the metal filling still completely intact.

Additionally, when you chew and your teeth come together there’s a lot of pressure and force at work, and the metal filling takes the brunt of that pressure…which can also lead to the tooth being fractured much like a log being split.

When the seal between the tooth and the filling breaks down, food particles and decay-causing bacteria work their way between the worn filling and the tooth. These bacteria cannot be removed with a toothbrush or by any other means, and decay may develop along the edge of the filling or underneath it.

The most frustrating part of all this is that it happens painlessly with very few signs of a problem.

Dr. Korenman of Loveable Smiles has invested in the latest dental technology that allows him and his team to see things that normally go undetected.

He and his team can safely and effectively remove your silver fillings and restore your teeth to their their natural strength, beauty, and function.

We urge you to call Loveable Smiles for your Total Health Dental Care appointment. 972-231-0585

If you’re like most Americans, you probably don’t…at least not daily. 

According to a 2016 study, only 30% of the population flosses daily!

Why do you think that is?

Could it be that it takes too long (approx. 1 min.) or maybe you feel like you’re just not good at it?

“I hear both of these reasons from patients every day and the good news is that I know something that can help you without using floss!

I always recommend that my “non-flossing” patients use a Waterpik water flosser, specifically the cordless model with the pocket tip.”

With the cordless model you can charge the device and then just keep it in your shower (using it in the shower makes it less messy).

To properly use it all you need to do is fill it with water, turn it on, and then trace lightly around the gumline…that’s it!!!

It is relatively easy to make the Waterpik part of your shower routine which will help you clean between your teeth on a more regular basis.

Doing this solves both of the problems patients mention to me daily.

It takes up very little time (just long enough for you to let your conditioner set in) and it’s super easy to use.

Most of my patients love their Waterpik!

If you or anyone you know has questions about where to find on or what attachments to get, please call Loveable Smiles at 972-231-0585.

Here’s how we have always kept our patients safe:

• We run Clorox tabs through the lines every day.
• We clean all surfaces with cavicide.
• We wear masks and have N95 masks available.
• We use all disposable products.
• We schedule safely and never have unrelated patients together.

Call today for your safe hygiene appointment. 972-231-0585

Here are the heath and safety measures we use in our dental office

We take temps

We wear masks

We never let any non-related patients near each other

We schedule one patient at a time

We wipe down counters door knobs and bathrooms 3-4 times a day.

 Keeping your mouth healthy effects your overall health.

So, we encourage you to call for your hygiene  appointment. 972-231-0585