How Your General Health Impacts Dental Implants

Dental implants have helped countless patients achieve a confident, secure and natural-looking smile after missing teeth. However, dental implants do have some criteria that must be met if you want them to be successful. While adequate bone density and healthy teeth and gums are local qualifications for dental implant placement, there are also factors within your general health that matter too.

A patient considering dental implants should NOT have the following, as these may inhibit the success of your implants:

Compromised Immune Resistance: Certain autoimmune disorders or other conditions that compromise your immune system may make dental implants more risky. The healing stage of dental implants is critical to the long-term success of your replacement teeth; therefore, a healthy immune system is required.

Osteoporosis (porous bone): This may influence the density of your jawbone. In such cases, dental implants may not be possible or bone grafting may be required if future bone deterioration can be avoided.

A Smoking Habit: Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor, which means blood flow may be inhibited. This can pose a threat to your gums and body’s natural healing response when the implants are surgically placed. It is recommended that smoking be stopped one week prior to implant placement and at least two weeks after surgery. However, kicking habit altogether is best.

Uncontrolled Diabetes: It has been suggested that patients with poorly controlled diabetes experience impaired osseointegration, higher risk of peri-implantitis, and greater chance for implant failure. However, it should be noted that recent studies have deemed diabetes and dental implants safe. If you have diabetes, it is definitely something to discuss with your dentist prior to getting implants.

Want to know for sure if you are a candidate for dental implants? Schedule a consult with Dr. Wayne Suway. We offer complete implant dentistry and bone grafting.