Dental Implants in West Palm Beach | Diabetic Patients and Dental Implants

For patients with missing teeth, dental implants in West Palm Beach have become the ideal treatment modality to address the problem. Dental implants provide more stability than any other teeth replacement options like bridges and dentures since they are directly anchored into the jawbone. They also provide a natural-like appearance and minimize bone resorption and atrophy. But are dental implants suitable for everyone?

Dental Implants for Diabetic Patients

The process of completing dental implant placement can take for up to a couple of months as the bone and surrounding tissues in the implant site need to heal completely. For patients with diabetes mellitus, the healing process may be greatly affected as diabetic patients experience delayed wound healing, which in turn affects the process of osseointegration. Diabetes is a classified risk factor for implant treatment and may impair bone healing after dental implant placement. As a result, the rate of implant failure among diabetic patients is much higher than in non-diabetic patients.

Oral and Systemic Implications of Diabetes

Diabetes is associated with many systemic complications such as macrovascular and microvascular diseases, altered wound healing, and increased vulnerability to infection. These problems will increase the risk of post-surgical complications including dental implant surgery. Diabetes negatively affects bone metabolism, decreased collagen production, decreased osteoblast differentiation and proliferation, and is a major risk factor of periodontal disease. It has also been associated with increased levels of salivary glucose, swelling of the parotid gland, and increases the incident of dental caries.

Osseointegration, Bone Healing, & Diabetes

The success of a dental implant is dependent on direct-to-bone implant contact (osseointegration). The formation of bone in and around the implant site will be achieved through normal mechanisms of bone repair. However, bone and mineral metabolism are altered for diabetic patients and the rate of bone formation decreases.

Are You a Good Fit for Dental Implants in West Palm Beach?

Although diabetic patients are at a higher risk of dental implant failure, experimental studies have shown that the optimization of glycemic control improves osseointegration. If you are interested in getting dental implants in West Palm Beach but you are not sure if you are a good fit for the procedure, schedule a consultation with Ferber Dental Group today for more information.