If you have diabetes, then you know that your condition can be a contraindication for many medical procedures—including dental implants. However, due to improving medical technologies and therapies, you may have a chance to proceed with this option if you have missing teeth.

Why did dental implants typically fail for those with diabetes anyway?

In the past, dental implants could fail in diabetic patients due to osseointegration issues, meaning that the surrounding bone and tissues would be too weak to support the implant. Also, since diabetics typically heal more slowly and have sustained inflammatory responses, they could be at risk for infection and even periodontitis.

What technologies have changed?

Dentists can now coat titanium implants and other alloys with bioactive material, meaning they can coat the rods with chemicals that encourage bone regeneration and integration; and, they can reduce allergenicity that could cause inflammation. Dentists can also increase both the width and length of the rods to ensure that they have a better chance of integrating. To improve your chances, your dentist can insert a bone graft into your jawbone months or years in advance to build up the supporting structures. While this option may take longer for you to get the actual implant, it may be worth it if you are worried about your success rate or don't want temporary appliances like dentures.

How can I improve my chances?

According to Dear Doctor, one physician compared three different groups (diabetics with good glucose control, diabetics with poor glucose control, and non-diabetics) and found that they all had about a 95 percent success rate or above. The only drawback was that those with poor glucose control had a longer healing time. So, you'll want to make sure your dentist and family doctor work in tandem to get your blood sugar under control. In fact, an NCBI abstract says that if you can control your glycosylated hemoglobin and take a longer term of prophylactic antibiotics, you may increase your odds.

Another way to improve your chances of success is by investing in some chlorhexidine mouth rinse. This rinse is great at combating gingivitis and other periodontal issues, so you'll want to use some to further decrease your risk of infection. As always, check with your doctor first to make sure this rinse doesn't interfere with medications or your healthy history.

Lastly, make sure that you cut out any other bad oral habits so that you can focus on controlling the diabetes. For instance, smokers have twice the failure rate of implants compared to non-smokers. While you may not be able to kick the habit, abstaining during treatment and recovery can still help.

Don't let your diabetes deter you from fixing your missing teeth. For more information, contact Dental Care Of Scottsburg - Randol O Woolbright Jr DDS or a similar location.