Diabetes and Implants

As specialists in prosthodontics, we at the Oyster Bay Family Dentists have used implants to help hundreds of people gain new teeth. This technology has made great strides since it became popular about thirty years ago and can now be adapted to people in all sorts of situations. But people with diabetes still experience some particular oral health challenges that require them to take special care of their implants, which is why we wanted to share a recent scientific review with our patients.

People with diabetes suffer from damage to their blood vessels. As a result, it often takes them longer to heal from wounds, and they have a harder time fighting off infections. Although dental implants have very high success rates, dentists were long concerned that the need to create incisions to place them would be a problem for diabetic patients. But the review found that, although it tends to take longer for diabetic patients’ jaw bones to integrate with the implant posts, they nearly always heal successfully when their blood sugar is well-controlled. The mini-implants used with dentures do not require large incisions to place, and are also a good option for people who heal slowly.

An implant will have to be removed if a patient’s gum disease causes it or the bone it integrates with to deteriorate. Diabetic patients are at a higher risk of this when their blood sugar is not controlled, but the study found that when they’re well-cared for, their implants have the same rate as success as non-diabetic people's for the first six years. After that, people with diabetes can significantly extend the life of their implants by maintaining good oral hygiene.

Drs. Denise VeyVoda and Robert G. West operate The Oyster Bay Family Dentists at 123 South Street, Oyster Bay, New York, 11771. To schedule an appointment, call 516-922-5730 or visit Oyster Bay Dentists and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Causes of Bad Breath

Bad breath isn’t always caused by something as benign as eating pungent food. We at the Oyster Bay Family Dentists have restored a lot of teeth, and we know that a lot of health problems can reveal themselves through a foul odor. To help our patients protect themselves, we wanted to discuss some of the causes of halitosis and what can be done about them.

The most common cause of halitosis is odor from bacterial build-up. Bacteria eat the food debris that gets trapped between teeth, and if they are allowed to fester enough, the acid they produce may damage gum tissue. But bacteria also commonly live on the tongue, where they may have another food source in the form of nasal drip when the patient is sick. This is why we encourage patients to brush their tongues and use a scraper on them every day.

Certain conditions increase a patient’s risk of oral bacterial build-up. Dry mouth makes it harder to swallow food debris and changes the mouth’s pH level to make it more hospitable to pathogens. Diabetes causes saliva to contain more sugar, which could fuel bacteria. Onions and garlic, besides being acid reflux triggers, contain chemicals that pass from the bloodstream into the lungs and cause bad breath to originate there. We recommend that patients suffering from dry mouth use artificial throat moisturizers. Patients should also remember that chewing sugar-free gum, besides masking halitosis, can also stimulate new saliva production and remove food debris.

Drs. Denise VeyVoda and Robert G. West operate The Oyster Bay Family Dentists at 123 South Street, Oyster Bay, New York, 11771. To schedule an appointment, call 516-922-5730 or visit Oyster Bay Dentists and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Diabetes and Tooth Loss

The experienced prosthodontists of the Oyster Bay Family Dentists have provided many people with dental implants and dentures. Even if a person suffered from periodontal disease and their teeth become loose as a result, it may be possible to provide them with a second chance at oral health. But gum disease has some complicating factors we want our patients to be on the look-out for, and one of the most common of these is diabetes.

People with diabetes have elevated levels of inflammation and more difficulty fighting off infections. Inflammation is the immune system’s way of isolating disease-causing bacteria and of providing white blood cell support to an infected area. But it also causes pain and discoloration, and when there are bacteria in the gum pockets, it often causes gums to bleed. Gingivitis literally means “gum inflammation” and is usually caused by bacterial infections. If an infection progresses, it could turn into periodontal disease (also called periodontitis), which describes the recession of gum tissue from around tooth roots. This causes teeth to come loose and could result in their falling out.

There is some evidence that gum disease and uncontrolled blood sugar influence each other. People with gum disease have higher glucose levels, and people with diabetes have higher rates of gum disease than the general population. But the relationship also works in reverse; when people with periodontitis are treated, their blood sugar tends to be better regulated. We hope that people with diabetes will understand how important it is for them to maintain their oral hygiene and to continue to see us for regular cleanings.

Drs. Denise VeyVoda and Robert G. West operate The Oyster Bay Family Dentists at 123 South Street, Oyster Bay, New York, 11771. To schedule an appointment, call 516-922-5730 or visit Oyster Bay Dentists and fill out a contact sheet.