Patients with uncontrolled diabetes are normally able to take advantage of every type of cosmetic dentistry, from dental veneers to a number of other dental technologies meant to improve the appearance of one’s teeth.
Every type of cosmetic dentistry except one — the dental implant.
Since cosmetic dentistry’s inception, it has been believed that it’s unsafe for people with uncontrolled diabetes to get dental implants. Dental professionals long believed that higher blood sugar is correlated with dental implant failure.
However, a new study proves this belief wrong and reveals that patients with uncontrolled diabetes risk nothing by getting dental implants.
According to a December 10 MedScape article, the study, published in the December issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association failed to find any correlation between elevated blood sugar and dental implant failure or complication.
The study observed 19 patients with uncontrolled diabetes who underwent the dental implant procedure at a cosmetic dentist office. After a year, none of the patients experienced implant failure or any complications with their implants.
Among the general population, dental implants have a proven success rate of more than 98%.
Theoretically, diabetic patients experience a number of problems that led dentists to believe they weren’t ideal candidates for the dental implant process. According to MedScape, people with diabetes experience altered bone formation, higher risk of infection, compromised healing and other issues.
However, none of these theoretical risk factors had any effect on the success of the patients’ implants.
Previous studies didn’t observe patients for as long as the study from the School of Dentistry at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio did — which may explain why the newer study found no relationship between diabetes and dental implant failure.
What do you think about this study’s findings? Has diabetes prevented you or someone you know from getting a dental implant? Share your experiences and thoughts with us in the comments below! Get more on this here.
