At C.S. Family Dental, we receive questions from our patients on a daily basis about whether or not they can have dental implants if they have controlled diabetes. This is a good question because we all know that diabetes can lead to problems with healing and lead to complications.
Dr. Alex Sohn wants you to know that it is possible for you to have dental implants without a problem while you have diabetes that is controlled. There are roughly 26 million people who live with diabetes in the US. While the numbers continue to rise, it is more concerning that many of these individuals do not know that they even have the disease.
Diabetes is best described as a metabolic disease that fights the body when it comes time to process glucose. Because of this, the body’s glucose levels are not well controlled. The pancreas is responsible for producing insulin, which helps with the glucose regulation, but if the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin or produces too much, there are problems that arise.
Type I diabetes occurs when your pancreas does not produce enough insulin for the body. When Type I is presented, you may be prescribed insulin injections and will be required to oversee your blood glucose levels. Type II diabetes is much more common and affects a majority of the population. This type occurs when individuals are unable to produce enough insulin, or the body does not respond to the amount that is produced.
Both Type and Type II diabetes can cause serious complications within the body, which include kidney disease, gangrene, nerve damage, and more. Changes in your blood glucose levels that never receive treatment can lead to coma or even death. If diabetes is under control and management, then symptoms are not generally experienced.
If you think that you may have diabetes, it is important that you speak with your primary health care team. There are tests that can be performed to let you know whether or not you do have the condition and how serious it is. Some patients may be at high risk, or they may simply be pre-diabetic. To control diabetes, medications, insulin injections, and a change in diet may be required.
Diabetes must be managed to prevent any serious symptoms such as poor healing. Patients who do not have controlled diabetes may not receive as much success with dental implants as those with controlled diabetes.
Diabetes and Your Healing Process
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As a diabetic, you may experience a slowdown in the time it takes you to heal from any type of injury. You may also find that you are more prone to infections than non-diabetics. This is common and happens because when a diabetic experiences high blood glucose levels, damage occurs to the blood vessel and it prevents healing. When glucose is not controlled, your blood circulation is reduced and thus limits how much blood reaches your kidneys, fingers, gums, and eyes.
Low blood flow is just one of the symptoms that is experienced. When elevated blood sugar occurs, your body may experience more inflammation than if you were a non-diabetic. One of the components of wound healing is inflammation and if the body does not respond to the inflammation, it can continue to get worse and cause other health-related issues. Inflammation that occurs in diabetic can become a serious problem and cause tissue damage when prolonged.
Dr. Sohn wants you to know that dental implants are, fortunately, considered to be a minor procedure and quite routine. Because of this, it is likely that you will have success when you have dental implants placed, even with diabetes. Over the years, studies have shown that implant surgery for both diabetics and non-diabetics is pretty much the same. The results show a high likelihood that diabetics can heal properly after the dental implants are placed.
If you want to have dental implants and you have diabetes, Dr. Sohn has studied proper research and different scientific tests that allow him to have a good understanding of what to expect. Groups that have been studied show that there is a 95 percent success rate in patients with dental implants no matter what their blood glucose levels are. While that is a positive, some studies revealed that patients with a poor blood glucose level did take longer to heal overall.
Patients who have diabetes should not steer clear of dental implants as diabetes alone is not an indicator to not have the procedure performed. The benefits outweigh the possibility that the implants may not be successful.
If you would like to learn more about diabetes and dental implants, now is the time to call C.S. Family Dental and schedule an appointment in our Denver office. Dr. Alex Sohn will work closely with you to determine whether or not you are a good candidate for dental implants.
