Are Dental Implants Safe For Diabetic Patients?

The dental implants are the best options for the people having lost their teeth because of advanced ages or in case of partial teeth loss. However, in case of people suffering from diabetes, there are chances that there are fluctuation of sugar level and wide fluctuations may invite infection during the implant procedure.
The longer the duration of the implant, more the patients are susceptible to infection since the healing process of diabetics takes longer time due to presence of high level of blood sugar. The dentist carrying out the in cession procedure has to check up the sugar level of the patients prior to taking up surgery. If eight implants are required to be done, the dentist would take up phase wise checking up sugar level at every stage.

That purely depends on the sugar levels. Sugar patients require special attention. Pre- and post-implant care is required in the case of sugar patients. If sugar levels are under control. there will not be many implications and the success rate will be high.
Dental implants will be embedded into the jaw bone. The body's natural healing process is very important. The gums also should heal. When these two processes are happening normally and without any delay, dental implants will be successful and permanent. The healing process will be good in normal persons rather than diabetic patients. It may take more time. If the sugar levels are not in control. That is why the dental surgeons ask the patients to get the sugar level under control before starting the process.

Due to diabetes, there is a lack of white cells in the blood of the patient, so it takes longer than normal to heal any wounds that occur in his mouth. For patients with diabetes, infection and a small mouth surgery or tooth extraction are very difficult. Diabetes patients need to take more care if they apply crown, brace, or any other orthodontic appliance. Because if there is a wound in the patient's mouth due to these, then it does not heal easily.

If someone with the dental disease also has diabetes, the risk increases further. Diabetes patients are at increased risk of oral diseases, as glucose levels in the blood of the patient are uncontrolled. This causes damage to white blood cells. In such a situation, the probability of infection in the body increases. This is more likely to happen when there is a dirty mouth. When glucose levels are high, the amount of sugar and starch in the saliva of the mouth also increases. Teeth rapidly deteriorate when the outer enamel of teeth, ie its upper layer is constantly in contact with acid. If we eat or drink more sugar or starchy things or take such things, which cause plaque to accumulate in the mouth, then bacteria start forming. If a plaque will accumulate, even a minor acid attack causes major damage to the teeth.

A diabetic person has to keep a control on his food intake in the prescribed manner and take those foods which keep the diabetics under control. They have to take fresh food and fruits in their diet and chew them well. So dental implants which are firmly fixed to jaw help in chewing these healthy foods effectively and a good dental implant will help a diabetic person to chew the prescribed healthy food without any problem. So the interesting thing is that dental implants are very safe for the people who have a controlled diabetic condition. On the contrary people with diseased gums or using ordinary dentures which create inflammation at times will be having problems of delayed healing if they are diabetic. So a diabetic person having controlled diabetics can safely go for the dental implants and after the implant is complete one has to wait for the normal healing and then start it using regularly.

The patients who have an uncontrolled diabetic may not get the desired result from these implants as there are many cases when the implant failed miserably. Many of them get infections also during the implants.

If the dental implant is done professionally and the patient has a controlled diabetics then after the implant it heals up very nicely and works like an actual teeth. After the implant the jaw will also heal up and integrate with the implant making it one solid body through the medical process of osseointegration.

Dental implants should be done with utmost care in case of diabetic patients. Due to presence of sugar in blood, the cuts or wounds takes time to get heal inside mouth. Also, dentists must check blood sugar level of patients before going for dental implants.

The concern raised through your question is a normal one as many diabetic patients have the same concern about dental implants and have to satisfy themselves with dentures that not only affect more but adds more problems like diet and infection. As we know that the healthiest food for any person is whole foods that require stronger bite force and if you have dentures, there are more chances of moving due to looseness in fittings, irritation, and discomfort which can cause gum tenderness and denture sores. Owing to these reasons people using dentures prefer to eat processed and softer food making it worse or unmanageable to keep blood sugar levels under control. Now, it is best to opt for permanent dental implants that will help them to eat healthy and fresh food which can give more nutrition but require more chewing which gets solved by a simple surgery.

We know that people have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes and dental implants and if they have controlled diabetes, they can have a positive impact but if they have uncontrolled diabetes it may have a negative impact on their health. With numerous advancements in techniques and materials used in dental implants, people with controlled Type 1 or type 2 diabetes can have successful dental implants.

There are different dental implant procedures available and one needs to consult their dentist and oral surgeon beforehand who can check your complete details, provide a healthy diet plan and oral hygiene routine to keep your diabetes under control so as to increase the success rate of the implant. The safe dental implant procedures available for diabetic patients are:
a) One-Day Process: As we know that any wound takes time to heal and especially for diabetic patients, it takes more time and this process is not a good option as it may take more time to heal in between operation which gives more risk and increase the failure rate of the procedure. This will give the patient a replaced teeth on the same day but there are more chances of failure and infection.
b) One/Single Tooth Replacement: This tooth replacement uses a bride technique that uncovers the adjacent teeth just near the missing one that increases its chances of decay and requires more dental effort. This procedure provides good short-term results but is not good for diabetic patients as it takes away the good teeth in some time.
c) Mini Dental Implant: Though it is a good option for a single missing tooth, not the best option as the procedure may require constant maintenance i.e. repair and replacement, and making it risky for people with diabetes or gum infection.
d) All on Four Dental Implants: This is the most successful dental implant procedure for diabetic patients that gives the best result with minimum damage and no bone grafting requirement. If the patient wants all their upper and/or lower teeth reinstated, this procedure is the best that place four positioned dental implants in the jaw with the support of the existing bone in the jaw.