Teeth

Teeth

It seems like the tooth fairy has been visiting us frequently these days.  I’d somehow expected her visits to slow down by 3^rd grade, but there are more baby teeth in there than I thought.  Apparently she’ll need to save up a few more dollars for my daughter’s tooth pillow.

Teeth, as a rule, are problematic.  Getting her first set of teeth was certainly problematic for my daughter.  Our home was littered with teething rings and empty baby orajel tubes.  She had even less desire to eat than she usually did in those days.  She had a more unique reaction as well.  Her blood sugar seemed to rise every time a new tooth was coming in.

I asked the pediatrician and our diabetes team if I was imagining things.  It seemed there were few enough babies and toddlers with diabetes for there to be any definitive answer to my question. 

They did tell me, though, that I was probably right and that there were several factors which could be involved.  Inflammation can cause a rise in blood sugar.   So can growth hormones, which would likely kick up as teeth grow in.  Lastly, but never least, stress probably played a big role.  The pain was stressful, of course, and as she got older the weirdness of new teeth appearing in her mouth was also unsettling.

As far as I can tell, we still see spikes when new teeth come in, probably for the same reasons.  The added discomfort and stress of the old tooth falling out just exacerbates the problem.

As with many diabetes obstacles, here’s nothing to do but correct and adjust doses and move on to the next problem.  I’m guessing that when the braces go in a couple of years, we’re going to be in for another teeth-related diabetes adventure!