Dental Implants for Diabetic Patients

For a long time, patients with diabetes were unable to get dental implants. The reason was that it was thought that the condition may interfere with the implants’ ability to heal and fuse with the bone. This situation has just begun to change recently as a study that was released in 2012 and 2013 indicated that dental implant treatment may not impact implant treatment like it was believed before.

Diabetes and Changing Attitudes

In the past, there was a mentality that smokers and people who drink regularly could not get implants. This notion kept them away from proceeding with the treatment and it is the same thing that kept people with diabetes from getting the treatment. Diabetic patients were thought to be risky because it was thought that the excess sugar in the bloodstream would prevent the fitted implants from integrating properly.

Luckily, more recent studies have changed the way patients with diabetes are looked at. A study done in 2013 indicated that the success of implants in patients with well and fairly controlled diabetes who get proper treatment planning, adequate surgical maintenance, and prophylactic remedies appear to be as good as other people. What this means is that the likelihood of the treatment being successful in diabetic patients whose condition is well managed and controlled is just as good as it is for healthy patients who do not have diabetes.

In another study done in 2012, it backed this up by showing that the success rate of implant placement among diabetic patients was as high as 94 percent. With these research findings and others being done today, they are changing the attitudes toward people with diabetes who are looking for dental implant treatment. Now, many patients having diabetes are receiving the tooth restorations they need than ever before. If you are diabetic, talk to our periodontal team to discuss your implant treatment needs. We will evaluate you and guide you through the treatment plan. Schedule your consultation appointment.