According to a recent survey carried out by Diabetes UK over 2.9 million people suffer with some form of diabetes and is a figure that is set to rise to around 5 million by 2025. This means that at present, just fewer than 6% of the population have diabetes in one form or another. Whilst oral surgical procedures such as undergoing treatment for dental implants in Richmond pose little or no risk to the patient, there’s good reason to suspect that some diabetic patients will face a higher possibility of implant failure and complications.
So why is this?
In essence those that have uncontrollable diabetes are more likely to suffer or develop gum disease. In the early stages such as the onset of gingivitis, this may not present such a problem or even be an real issue as this is easily dealt with. However as the body fails to fight off bacteria, then gum disease can progress to an advanced stage known as periodontitis. This in turn can weaken bone and eventually cause tooth loss. As a result diabetes raises the chance that post operative complications can occur.
In addition to this, diabetics are known to have a slower or impaired metabolic healing rate than those who don’t have the disease and as the osseointegration (implant/bone fusion) process is vital to the success of dental implants, and then clearly this may impinge on the outcome.
So can diabetics be considered for dental implants?
In a nutshell the answer is yes, however a number of factors need to be taken into consideration, before a decision should be made. These are as follows:
Diabetes type
You may or may not be aware that there are various types of diabetes with type 2 being the most controllable and indeed treatable, whereas other forms of diabetes such as type 1 might pose a greater risk to a dental implant. In Richmond, here at Sheen Dental we take each case on an individual basis and look at all the facts before we give you an informed decision.
Diabetic history
If you’ve only recently been diagnosed with diabetes then the problem is usually more easily controlled and therefore so too are its symptoms. If however a patient has suffered with diabetes for a long time then it poses a greater risk to implant success.
Medical history
Any past medical history regarding recovery times from previous surgical treatments may well be a good indicator of whether dental implants are an option.
Implant type and location
Dental implants that are located in the top jaw and those that are abnormally short or long are known to pose a greater risk of failure. Whereas standard implants fitted in the bottom jaw may have a better rate of success.
If you suffer from diabetes and are contemplating implants then contact Sheen Dental. We’ve been successfully fitting dental implants in Richmond for many years and as such will give you a thorough oral examination and a consultation to ascertain whether we’re is able to proceed. So give us a call to discuss your options on 020 8876 5277 or visit the website at www.sheendental.co.uk today.