The Sweet Truth about Dental Implants and Diabetes

An estimated 340 million people worldwide have diabetes. Some of its complications include increased risk for heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and eye disease. You may know that skin wound takes longer to heal, but what about bone healing. Diabetics may have longer recovery time, but it doesn’t mean they can’t have dental implants.

Why Do Many Diabetics Experience Tooth Loss?

People with diabetes are more likely to develop periodontal disease and experience tooth loss than those without the condition. Another cause is the increased risk for the elderly to develop diabetes. As patients get older, Type 2 diabetes and tooth loss becomes more prevalent.

How will Diabetes Affect Your Surgery?

We may perform most dental treatments for people with diabetes. When it comes to tooth extraction or dental implants, though, you should have a well-controlled blood sugar before we start the surgery. You may also have a longer healing period after the implant surgery. Bone healing for healthy patients normally last for six weeks. It seems, though, that patients with controlled diabetes need eight to 12 weeks to recover.

You will also need to visit us more often to make sure the healing process is going well. It may take longer for diabetic patients to heal from a surgical procedure. Researchers haven’t confirmed yet if the condition affects the healing process of the bone.

The good news is recent studies show that diabetics with controlled glucose levels are able to have successful dental implant procedures. If you’re diabetic with controlled sugar levels and interested in dental implants, call and make an appointment with us for a consultation.

Browse through the rest of our blogs to know what you can expect during dental implant surgery. We look forward to helping address your tooth loss problem through this solution soon.