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Are Dental Implants Safe For Diabetic Patients? 3 Things You Should Know

Are you a diabetic who is considering getting dental implants? There are plenty of different opinions among dentists as to whether you are a viable candidate for implants if you have this health condition. In fact, you may get conflicting answers on whether or not you can get them depending on the personal views of the dentist you see for your consultation. So, what are you supposed to believe? While the decision of whether or not to get dental implants is ultimately up to you (and the dentist who is willing to give them to you), there are certain things you should know about diabetes and implants so you can make an informed choice.

Here are the top three things you need to know about how diabetes affects your chances of success with dental implants.

1. You May Be A Better Candidate For Implants Than You Thought

While most dentists may have been reluctant to put dental implants in people with diabetes in the past, that is no longer necessarily the case. According to the International Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, a recent test of patients with well controlled diabetes produced excellent results with dental implants. These implants were installed using a "punch" technique, where a flap does not need to be made in the gum.

After six months, there was a 100 percent success rate with these patients and their implants. This has given many dentists new confidence in providing dental implants to diabetic patients, whereas they would have been reluctant to do so in the past.

2. You May Heal More Slowly From Dental Implant Surgery Than Other People

Some wounds are slower to heal in diabetic people than others. There still isn't a whole lot of information on how diabetes affects the healing of bone. Studies are still being done on it to determine if there is an effect in this area. Anecdotal evidence seems to indicate that bone is slower to heal in diabetic patients. However, not every patient with this condition reports slower healing times in bone or other areas. Healing with diabetes seems to be an individual matter that varies from person to person.

Dentists, for the most part, do remain concerned at how quickly the bone will adhere to the screws of dental implants when they are installed. The more quickly the bone grows onto the screws, the more quickly the implants will become stable.

If you get implants, just be aware that you may heal more slowly than if you didn't have the condition. Then again, you may heal perfectly normally. No one can predict it just yet.

3. Diabetes May Affect How Well Implant Screws Attach to Your Jaw Bone

Uncontrolled diabetes may affect the ability of bone to fuse to the screws in your dental implants. This is because diabetes reduces bone mineral density. When there is less bone to work with, there is more of a chance of the bone not fusing to the implant screws. This will leave the implants loose in your mouth.

While not everyone with diabetes will be affected, it could happen to you. Be aware of this before undergoing the procedure. Loose implants are useless implants. Be sure to get a thorough evaluation from your dentist before deciding if implants are likely to work for you.

Conclusion

Even if you have diabetes, you can still potentially benefit from dental implants. It all depends on your individual situation, including how well you heal from wounds and how much bone is in your jaw, among other things. While getting implants is probably safe for you, the best thing is to always have a thorough consultation with a dentist, and maybe even a second opinion from another one, before making the decision to get them. For more information, contact a dental surgeon.


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