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Does my mother have toothache due to diabetes?

Answered by: Prof Dinesh Dhanwal | Prof of Medicine and Head of Endocrinology,
Maulana Azad Medical College,
New Delhi

Q: My 56 years old mother is having diabetes for the last 10 years. She takes Metformin daily as prescribed by the doctor. Her glucose level never comes down from 350 mg/dl (minimum) and her weight is 67 kg. Now she has pain in her teeth. Is it due to diabetes? How can it be treated?

A:A patient having blood glucose of 350 mg/dl and diabetes of 10 years duration should take insulin to control blood glucose and once controlled, one can try to switch over to oral medications. Options are:

Oral medication with basal insulin like Lantus or Levimir.
Human Mix 30/70 twice daily along with Metformin.
Analog Mix 30/70 along with Metformin.

Doses, etc. have to be prescribed by a physician / endocrinologist along with diabetic education. If Insulin is totally unacceptable to her then she can take Glimipride 3 mg before breakfast and Metformin 1 gm twice daily. Ensure that her kidneys are normal before starting these oral medications.