When considering dental implants as a potential solution for tooth loss, patients should be aware of the health conditions that can compromise long-term success of these replacement teeth. Gum disease is a rather obvious one, as for many patients, this oral disease resulted in the tooth loss to begin with.
Other systemic conditions may also affect dental implant success. For example, diabetes appears to have some sort of link with gum disease, likely related to the inflammation involved in both conditions. Therefore, patients with uncontrolled diabetes may not be good candidates for dental implant placement.
When you are initially being evaluated as a potential candidate for dental implants, your periodontist will ask about your medical history. This part of the assessment is intended to identify any health conditions that could be problematic in the dental implant process. It is important to answer all of these questions honestly for your best chance at long-term dental implant success.
The patient’s ability to osseointegrate the titanium dental implant – that is, the capacity for the jawbone material to fuse with the implant – depends on sturdy bone tissue that has not been weakened by gum disease. If your bone is inadequate, osseointegration may be incomplete, or the dental implant could fail prematurely.
Fortunately, a periodontist can treat active gum disease prior to placing dental implants to replace missing teeth. Then after the gum disease is under control, you can proceed with implant placement. You should also continue to be monitored for relapses of gum disease, which can also interfere with the bond between bone and dental implant.
Certain health conditions can negatively affect your dental implants, so it’s important to accurate relay all pertinent medical issues to your provider. That way, these conditions can be addressed and monitored to make dental implant success more likely. If you have any questions or concerns about the types of conditions that may undermine your dental implants, call our team at BC Perio to speak to one of our knowledgeable staff members.
