Well, it was my regular 8 month clean up for my teeth yesterday and as usual I was told to floss my teeth more often and massage my gums (Oh Calgon take me away).  Of course, I did the flossing the night before - but that's a lame excuse - it should be done daily.  I think sometimes with having diabetes,  having to take this med and that med that I let things drop.  Luckily for me, I only have a problem with receding gum lines but they haven't advanced any further in the past 15 years. Perhaps with my switching to a rechargeable electric tooth brush and once in a blue moon stimulating my gums as well as flossing it has helped.  The main thing is to have a tooth brush that is soft - and don't brush hard - be gentle - and try to brush for at least 3 minutes!

One thing that many people don't realise is that oral disease in diabetics is a health risk - just like retinopathy, neuropathy, nephropathy. Now, anyone can get periodontitis, or problems with the tissues around your gums and teeth, but for diabetics it can sometimes be worse causing more complications.  When we have an infection anywhere in our body - not just our mouth - it tends to make insulin work less efficiently.  Some articles I've read also state that periodontal disease indicate BG problems and perhaps retinopathy. Basically, we shouldn't take mouth problems lightly! 

Also, another problem that diabetics can sometimes have is a dry mouth ( can vouch for that - pass me a beer).  Not producing enough salvia will result in tooth and gum disease since you're not able to wash off residues in your mouth.  As I've been told in the past both by my endo / dentist - "drink more fluids". 

So, keeping your BG's in control along with good oral health will keep most of those nasty dental complications at bay.  I just want to keep my own teeth for as long as I can - even if they aren't pearly white like George Hamilton's!