Diabetes is an unwanted medical condition that can easily affect various parts of the body, most prominently the eyes, nerves, kidneys, and heart. The mouth, too, is not an exception. Diabetes compromises the body’s natural ability to protect itself against bacterial infection. It also reduces the otherwise optimal efficiency at which the body can heal itself.
Regardless of age, people who suffer from diabetes have higher than normal risk of developing oral health anomalies, which, among others, include:
- Dry mouth. Diabetes is known to cause dry mouth by dramatically reducing saliva flow and production. Medically referred to as xerostomia, dry mouth can easily to result to a number of more serious dental conditions such as gum disease and tooth decay.
People generally grow 2 sets of teeth in a lifetime. These 2 sets being the primary teeth and the permanent teeth.
Otherwise known as baby teeth, deciduous teeth, and milk teeth, primary teeth usually start growing at 6 months and completely fall off at age 13. Children typically grow 20 baby teeth before their adult teeth start to grow into place.
Adult teeth, on the other hand, are referred to as permanent teeth because this set of pearly whites are naturally designed to last a lifetime. Adults usually grow 32 permanent teeth which develop between the ages of 6 and 14 years.