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For a long time now, our patients suffering from diabetes have been denied treatment with dental implants. The reason for this is that it has long been believed that the condition may interfere with the recovery period of the implant process. It is during this recovery time that your dental implants are fused with your jawbone, and it is this process that gives implants their unparalleled comfort and strength. As you can see, it is very important that this process succeeds. However, a recent study has shown that the implant success rate for diabetic patients may be just as high as it is for patients without the condition. Today, Dr. K. Ashraf is blogging from Waterloo, ON to talk about diabetes and how it may or may not affect the implant process.
Don’t Let Diabetes Prevent Your Dental Implant Treatment
What makes dental implants completely unique among teeth restoration treatments is the way that they are integrated into the underlying bone structure of your mouth. During the implant procedure, an implant fixture is placed in the empty spot left behind by the missing tooth it will be replacing. As the implant fixture heals, a process called osseointegration works to assimilate it into your oral anatomy. This process is important as it is what gives the implant fixture the strength needed to properly support the weight of a permanent replacement crown.
Every now and then, a patient is turned away from treatment with dental implants because of a certain habit or medical problem that may interfere with the implant fixture’s ability to osseointegrate. For instance, patients who smoke tend to be discouraged from seeking treatment with implants because the habit can make it harder for your body to heal itself. While we have had plenty of success placing dental implants for patients who smoke, the simple truth is that the chances of failure are much higher for these patients than those who don’t smoke.
For a long time, the same mentality that has prevented some smokers from obtaining treatment with dental implants has also applied to our diabetic patients. However, a recent study is changing this. This study states, “Success of dental implant in well and fairly controlled diabetic patients with proper treatment planning, prophylactic remedies and adequate postsurgical maintenance appears as good as normal individuals” (Debey, Gupta, and Singh [2013]). To put it simply, so long as the patient’s condition is well cared for and they are properly monitored over the course of the treatment, the chances of success are just as high as they are for non-diabetic patients.
Call and Schedule a Consultation with Dr. Ashraf
Because there is still so much more we have left to learn about how dental implants may react to diabetes, we can only determine whether or not a diabetic patient is a good candidate for treatment with dental implants on a case-by-case basis. If you are a diabetic patient who is suffering from missing teeth and are located in the Waterloo, ON area, we encourage you to contact us and schedule a no-obligation consultation with dental implant provider Dr. K. Ashraf today.