As a diabetic, you already know your wounds heal slower than others because your narrow arteries deliver less oxygen to wound sites. This is concerning knowledge to have now that you have been informed by your dentist that you need dental implants. Because your wounds heal slower than normal, you are more at risk of getting an infection. But, this does not mean dental implants are totally out of your reach if you educate yourself on how to keep infections at bay.

Good Glucose Control

The biggest problem when you have bad glucose control is that the number of bacteria you have in your body increases because bacteria loves to feast on the excess sugar. Therefore, the first step to keeping bacteria from turning into a raging infection in your mouth is to control the glucose levels in your body.

A dental study has shown that diabetics who have good glucose control have the same implant success as non-diabetics. But, those patients who have bad glucose control are likely to take longer for the bone to heal around the implant. This raises the chances of an infection taking hold when a wound remains raw and open.

Post-Operative Care

Following your dentist's instructions carefully after the implant has been done will also help to keep an infection at bay. The implant itself can't be attacked by the bacteria in your mouth, but the gum around it can. Bacteria attacking the gumline can cause bone erosion around the implant, and that will cause the implant to loosen and fail.

If you are currently a smoker, you should seriously consider quitting before the implant surgery. Not only is it good for your whole body, but you are more at risk of a bacterial infection as a smoker because of your reduced immune system. As a diabetic, you are already battling keeping infection by controlling your blood sugars, so it does not make sense to allow the infection into the body because you like to smoke.

Dental implants can be successfully done despite your diabetes, but you will need to make sure your body is fully prepared for the road ahead. Get your blood sugar levels stable, throw out the cigarettes and be prepared to keep a close watch on what is going on in your mouth after the implants are done. If you do this, dental implants are well within your reach so speak to your dentist about how long it will be before you can begin the implant process.

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