Can diabetic patients get dental implants?
Diabetes is a chronic health condition that occurs when your body cannot control blood sugar levels. Over time, diabetes is accompanied by various health problems followed by damaging the body's organs. Moreover, diabetes is well-known for slowing down the body's healing abilities. As delayed healing can intrude in the treatments taken for various ailments, many complications will arise. It raises questions among people regarding the willingness of those treatments. Getting a dental implant is one of them. Many people asked us, "Can I get dental implants even if I have diabetes?"
The elevated sugar levels do not obstruct diabetic patients from getting implants but they have limited implant success rates. We explained it in detail here.
How does diabetes affect one's ability to get implants? Fixing dental implants involves inserting a metallic post into the gums surgically. It integrates with the jawbone and acts as an artificial root for the implanted teeth. For a successful implant fixation, the gums around the inserted posts should heal properly. In most cases, diabetes hinders the healing process so that diabetic persons require a long time for healing. It also increases the risk of infection in the surgical site. Meanwhile, increased blood sugar is also powerful to intervene in the bone formation around implants. Thus the elevated sugar levels restrict the victim from getting implants and increase the risk of implant failure.