I want to get Dental Implants for two of my teeth. However, my dentist said that I am not a good candidate because of my diabetes. Is there any way around this?
Brandon
Dear Brandon,
I’m glad you wrote. Dental implants are a fantastic choice in tooth replacements. While diabetes is not a contra-indication for dental implants, it is a significant risk factor. You will require careful diagnostic work as well as diligent follow up throughout the procedure.
Make certain you see a dentist with significant dental implant training and experience. Do careful diagnostics, including a 3-Dimensional x-ray, such as a CT scan. Additionally, you’ll want to make sure they keep a close eye on you throughout the procedure. Infection is a particular danger for someone in your position.
If you have a dentist who send you to an oral surgeon to place the implant themselves, that is fine. However, and this is VERY important. It needs to be your dentist who determines the placement of your implant NOT the surgeon. There are counteless dental implant horror stories where the oral surgeon, who will have no occlusion training, only surgical, placed the dental implants in the wrong position. Occlusion is how your teeth meet together properly. When this is off, it throws off your whole bite. That can lead to constant pain and headaches as well as sharp pain when your trying to eat.
So, the bottom line for you is, yes, you can very likely get the dental implants you want. To do that safely, you will need a dentist with post-doctoral training, who is willing to do the proper diagnostics and keep a close eye on you throughout the procedure.
One other word of caution. Your dentist’s hesitance about this tells me he does not feel qualified to handle your particular case. He may be fine with less complicated ones. You, however, will need to find a different dentist to do your tooth replacements. That’s okay and common.
I hope this helps.
This blog is brought to you by Decatur, AL Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.