All Coast Dental

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Can People with Diabetes get Implants?

This National Diabetes Awareness Month, we at All Coast Dental in Pacific Beach wanted to address the impact diabetes has on oral health. People with diabetes have a more difficult time fighting off infections, which puts them at greater risk of developing gum disease and tooth decay. Consequently, their risk of losing a tooth is elevated. However, recent assessments of scientific research have shown that many diabetic patients can be good candidates for endosteal dental implants, allowing them to regain their bite function.


There are a few important reasons why patients with diabetes need extra attention when getting implants. Placing an implant requires that an incision be made in the gum tissue. People with diabetes take longer to recover from incisions than people without, but the evidence shows that they nearly always recover fully. Another issue is that an implant’s stability can be adversely affected by the gum tissue surrounding it becoming inflamed, and people with diabetes get gum inflammation at higher rates. But the same study found that when their blood sugar is well-controlled, diabetic people’s implants survive at the same rate as those in other people for the first six years.


People with diabetes are at slightly greater risk for implant failure over multiple decades, but this risk can be mitigated through proper oral hygiene. We encourage everybody, but especially people with diabetes, to be attentive to signs of gum disease such as redness and bleeding, and to schedule a cleaning with us right away if they see something troubling. With care, diabetic people can enjoy good oral health throughout life.


Drs. Julie and Joseph Boulos operate All Coast Dental at 2180 Garnet Ave, Suite 1-K, Pacific Beach, California, 92109. To schedule an appointment, call 858-270-4904 or visit All Coast Dental and fill out a contact sheet.


 

No comments:

Post a Comment