Dental Implants and Diabetes
If you are someone who lives with diabetes, you may have struggled in the past with tooth replacement options at the dentist. Now, dental implants are not only safe for people with diabetes, but they can even improve your health as compared to dentures.
Dentures can limit your food choices and may make controlling your diabetes more difficult as compared to natural tooth functioning dental implant. Dentures can cause sores on your gums and in your mouth from poor fit which can be avoided with dental implants. The dentist may have special procedures for you to follow before and after your dental implant procedure, but there is ample research to indicate not only are dental implants safe but they are successful for people with diabetes.
How Does Diabetes Affect My Ability to Get Dental Implants?
In 2016, studies on dental implants and diabetes underwent a systematic review which allowed researchers to determine that, “When diabetes is under well control, implant procedures are safe and predictable with a complication rate similar to that of healthy patients.” For people who have diabetes and are looking to replace their missing or damaged teeth but do not want dentures, dental implants are a safe and long-lasting alternative.
Do you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes?
The type of your diabetes changes how your body responds to surgery and healing. In the case of Type 1 diabetes, it is usually more difficult to control the disease resulting in a slightly higher risk and failure rate than those of people with Type 2 diabetes. Dentists will still consider people with Type 1 diabetes as candidates for dental implants, but it is very important to share all your medical information with the dentist. Before the surgery, the dentist will need a thorough and clear depiction of your overall health in order for the dentist to make any customizations and adjustments for your specific needs. If you have evidence about your body’s typical healing timeline and your history of infections, be sure to share that extremely helpful information as well.
When it comes to your age, if you have diabetes, it will matter more than if you didn’t have diabetes. The longer you have been diagnosed with diabetes, the longer it takes you to heal and the higher the likelihood that you will struggle with an infection. If you have either type of diabetes and you are thinking about dental implants, it is not a tooth replacement procedure you should wait to have. The sooner the better, in this case.
Is your diabetes under control?
Multiple studies indicate that when patients have their diabetes under control, their risk of complications after dental implant surgery is not higher than people without diabetes. Additionally, their long-term success rate of their dental implant procedures is not any different from people without diabetes. When diabetes is not controlled in patients who have had dental implant surgery, those patients are more likely to have post procedure infections or even implant failures.
When it comes to diabetes that is not well controlled, the healing time is longer for any bodily injury in those people. The dentist can work with you to help you get to a place of well controlled diabetes and gum-disease free oral health. After you achieve these goals, its time to talk to the dentist again about the option for dental implants.
Are you generally healthy?
Most people tend to think that age is a common reason people are not able to get dental implants. Instead of age, it is your overall health that can quickly rule you out as a candidate. Important health factors to talk to the dentist about and to address before dental implants are:
- Gum Disease or Periodontitis
- Low Bone Density
- Inability to navigate post implant recommendations and care instructions
- Previous Oral Cancer
- Biphosphate Medication Use
- Additional Medical Conditions that Compromise Healing
- Active Smoker
Patients who are active smokers, cigarettes or e-cigarettes, are less likely to heal properly. The sucking action needed to smoke can affect the implant’s ability to heal in place. Many dentists prefer people to quit smoking for the whole dental implant process which can take months to a year. Your dental implant may be reason enough to quit smoking for good after you have a head start on it.
The dentist will talk to you about all of these issues and habits during your consultation before determining a treatment plan. You may not be ready to have a dental implant procedure right away, but you may be able to move forward with a dental implant in the future after succeeding on your health plan. You do not have forget the idea of having a natural looking and functioning replacement tooth if the dentist does not think you are healthy enough now.
Dental implants can help you maintain a diabetes-healthy diet
The healthiest diets for people with and without diabetes include whole foods low in processing and are very fresh. These nutritiously dense foods are usually foods that require you to chew more or even grind down on to start the digestion. With the dental implant securely held in place because it is fused with the jaw bone, chewing and eating is easier and painless. Dentures tend to slide around and can leave your gums and the roof of your mouth sore after a salad at lunch. Those high fiber vegetables can still be a mainstay in your diet when you have dental implants instead of dentures. The softer, more processed foods favored by people with dentures are less likely to make keeping sugar levels regulated.
If you are hoping to achieve a well-balanced diet, avoid the pain, discomfort, and frustration of traditional dentures, and improve your overall dental health, talk to the dentist about dental implants as a way to replace your missing teeth. Your diabetes does not have to eliminate you from the list of candidates for dental implants so be sure to ask. You may be closer to a new, complete smile than you thought.