Sponsored: The Link Between Diabetes and Gum Disease & My Personal Story #ColgateTotal

As a member of Mom It Forward Blogger Network, the following is a compensated post. All opinions within this work belong to me and aren’t indicative of the brand and/or company mentioned.

I have blogged at length about diabetes (click here for my posts), a disease the affects millions of people around the world. The reason why I am so passionate about spreading the message about diabetes is because it has affected me and my family in many ways. I didn’t know much about diabetes before it came into my world about 20 years ago, causing my family to take note of this serious and deadly disease. Here is our story:

Last year, my father died at 58 years old of congestive heart failure and complications due to diabetes. Ten years before his passing, he was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and was put on insulin and other medication for control of the disease. Because he also had heart problems, it made it difficult for him to get treated for his diabetes because a lot of the heart medication he took conflicted with his diabetes medication. Previous to my father being diagnosed with the disease, I too, had a run in with diabetes—while pregnant with both of my children (who are both 19 and 9 now), I suffered from gestational diabetes. While I have been checked regularly for my sugar levels post pregnancy, my levels have been normal, but I’ve been told I am at risk due to my history. No one else besides my father and I have been afflicted with it, and yet, it has changed so much in our family—the way we eat, take care of ourselves, and how we have educated one another. Diabetes is not something you want to play with or take lightly; it can be deadly, and it is something I learned firsthand myself.

Diabetes is a disease the affects the way that our bodies process sugar (carbs, natural sugars, etc.). With Type 2 Diabetes, one has to be careful to not ingest too much sugar, and it sometimes must be controlled by diet and/or weight loss. Diabetes can cause loss of feet due to poor circulation and other serious issues. And, if not treated, can cause death.

Oral health is also very important for those that develop diabetes. My father developed gum disease which was caused by his diabetes, according to his doctors. Because of the massive gum disease, he lost several of his teeth. Oral health is of most importance for people suffering from the disease.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, those with diabetes are more likely to suffer from gum disease. People affected by diabetes can help their oral health by visiting a dentist on a regular basis (at least twice a year, or more as recommended by physician), and by using a toothpaste twice a day for at least two minutes with an anti-gingivitis or antibacterial ingredient to help stop gingivitis. Colgate Total® is accepted by the American Dental Association as a toothpaste with the aforementioned ingredients that can help fight gingivitis when used as recommended.

In addition, African Americans are 1.8 times more likely to have diabetes than non-Hispanic whites (see info). Diabetes is more prevalent amongst U.S. Hispanics than in the general population.

In order to promote better oral health and spread awareness about diabetes, Colgate Total® has begun the Watch Your Mouth! campaign, developed to help raise awareness about the often-overlooked linked between oral health and diabetes. They also created a website, www.oralhealthanddiabetes.com, with tips and information. The more informed we are, the better lives we can live.

Alongside regular visits to your doctor for diabetes, you also need to visit your dentist regularly, who also can play a key role in your treatment. Brushing two minutes twice a day with Colgate Total® can also help fight gum disease.

I urge each of you to visit the site and share this post with your friends, colleagues, and loved ones. You could be saving a life!

For more information about Colgate Total®, visit them below:

Colgate Total on Twitter – http://bit.ly/14OYceI

Diabetes has devastated my family in many ways, but we continue to fight the good fight while spreading the message of diabetes awareness. I am proud to be a part of this campaign, and thankful to Colgate Total®  for spreading the message about the importance of the link between diabetes and oral health.

Below is an infographic regarding diabetes and oral health: