Dental Implants And Diabetes - Healing Difficulties To Expect

Dentist Articles

If you have a tooth missing in the mouth, then dental implants can offer a permanent solution to your tooth loss problem. The devices are considered highly successful in most cases. In fact, the artificial teeth have an overall success rate of 98%. Complications may occur though, and these are seen especially during the recovery and healing process. If you have diabetes and want a dental implant, then you should know that you are more likely than the average person to have an implant that fails. To understand why this is the case and to learn what you can do to help with proper healing, keep reading.

Damaged Capillaries

The gums, ligaments, and the teeth themselves contain extremely small blood vessels called capillaries. These blood vessels help to transport food and oxygen to the tissues of the mouth. The capillaries also play an important role in the healing process after your dental implant surgery. They transport platelets to the wound so that bleeding can be stopped. A clot can then form so the area is protected from bacteria. The blood vessels then help to carry damaged cells away from the implant zone so that new tissues can begin to form. Tissue regeneration starts, and collagen is brought to the area so this can occur. Capillaries also expand into the area so the new tissues have a good supply of blood.

Unfortunately, if you have diabetes, then you likely have a wide variety of damaged capillaries all throughout the body. High blood sugar levels cause this issue. This means that many of the vessels in the mouth are likely to be stiff and hard. This makes it difficult for the healing process to advance as quickly as it should. Also, diabetes can cause chronic inflammation difficulties. This means that the dental implant area may remain swollen for some time. Chronic inflammation will stop new and healthy tissue cells from forming.

If you have diabetes, then you need to realize that the healing process will be slow. You need to follow your dentist's instructions completely to make sure the implant area remains clean and free of infection. Also, make sure to control your blood sugar as well as you can. You may need to follow a tight control regimen for several months. This regimen will involve checking and testing blood sugar levels more often. You may need smaller and more frequent insulin injections as well.

Poor Bone Remodeling

As you advance through the implant healing process, bone tissue will form around the implant root to secure it in place. Your bones are made up of two types of cells, osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Both of these types of cells help in the bone remodeling or rebuilding process. Osteoclasts are the cells that tell the bones to release minerals and bone material. Osteoblasts are the ones that inform the tissues to absorb minerals to build new bone. Constant remodeling occurs throughout the body. When a bone becomes damaged, then the osteoblasts must work hard to make sure the area is repaired with new mineral formations.

Unfortunately, when you have diabetes, high blood sugar levels will often stop osteoblasts from being as active as they should be. This means that your bones are probably already thinner than usual. Controlling blood sugar will help with good osteoblast activity around the jaw. You also should make sure to fill your diet with calcium, vitamin D, protein, phosphorous, and magnesium. These are the vitamins and minerals that your body needs to form dense and strong bone tissues. Dairy products like cheese, milk, and yogurt contain most of these nutrients, so make sure to eat several servings a day. Also, try to consume lean meats like fish and chicken. 

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29 April 2016

Improving My Dental Appointments

After dealing with a few root canals, I realized that it was time to take my dental hygiene a more seriously. I talked with my dentist about what I could do differently, and he was full of great suggestions that would help. He walked me through different ways to brush, floss, and take care of tartar buildup, and it was really amazing to see the difference that it made. I also started taking a fluoride supplement to strengthen my enamel. When I made it to my next appointment, my dentist was blown away with the improvement. This blog is all about improving your dental appointments by keeping your teeth healthier.