If you’ve lost a tooth, a dental implant is the best way to replace it. That’s why we want everyone to know about dental implants, and to know when they’re a candidate for dental implants.
In the past, many people were told they couldn’t get dental implants because they had a medical condition. However, we now know that many of these conditions don’t actually threaten dental implants or have risks of serious complications. With proper care and management, many people with these conditions can still enjoy the benefits of dental implants.
Here are some of the conditions we used to think meant you couldn’t get dental implants, but now seem fine. If you or someone you know was denied dental implants because of one of these conditions, it’ time to get re-evaluated.
Managing Dental Implants with Chronic Kidney Disease
In the past, people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) were considered poor dental implant candidates. This is in part because CKD is often associated with gum disease, and gum disease can attack dental implants just as it attacks natural teeth. But it’s also because patient with CKD may have difficulty processing medications that are often used in conjunction with dental implant surgery, including antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs. On the other hand, CKD drugs can have negative consequences for dental implant patients, such as dry mouth, and the overgrowth of gum tissue.
But recently doctors have re-evaluated the interaction between CKD and dental implants. A team of doctors from the US, Thailand, Spain, Saudi Arabia, and China looked at the issue in detail and made some recommendations. They found that with proper consultation between a dentist and nephrologist, followed by suitable caution of potential complications, CKD patients should be able to get dental implants.
Diabetes Doesn’t Impact Dental Implant Success
Diabetes used to be considered a problem for dental implant patients. Diabetes is associated with a higher risk of aggressive gum disease, and it was considered that this risk was too great for dental implants, especially if a person isn’t controlling their blood sugar levels well.
But new research has looked at this issue and concluded that patients with diabetes have comparable success rates, even if they’re not controlling their blood sugar properly.
Osteoporosis Doesn’t Undermine Dental Implants
Since dental implants are anchored in the bone, it was felt that osteoporosis made people bad candidates for dental implants. It wasn’t just that there might not be enough bone density to support implants, it was also that osteoporosis medications could increase the risk for complications related to dental implants, such as osteonecrosis of the jaw.
But now research has shown that osteoporosis doesn’t prevent people from getting good results with dental implants. And the medications most people take don’t affect success rates or necessarily increase complication risks.
Anemia Doesn’t Pale Chances
In order to get good results with dental implants, you need to have a healthy bone structure that can heal up properly after surgery. That’s why it was believed that anemia meant people weren’t good candidates for dental implants. But now research shows this isn’t true. With proper care, people with anemia can enjoy the benefit of dental implants. Especially if their anemia is successfully treated.
Have You Been Told You’re Not a Candidate?
In the past, many people were turned away from dental implants for reasons that we now know aren’t as significant as we thought. In addition to improved medical knowledge, improved dental implant procedures, and better dental implant technology mean that we can now treat more people than ever with dental implants.
Do you want to learn whether you’re a candidate for dental implants? Please call (949) 551-5902 today for an appointment with an Orange County implant dentist at Rice Dentistry in Irvine.
