I was diagnosed with cancer 2 and a half years ago and I am now cancer free. I have been done with treatment for well over a year. I also developed type 1 diabetes during this time. My last A1c was 6.8. I expect the next A1c to be even better now that I have a Dexcom. I negelected taking care of my teeth while battling cancer. Now I have lots of dental issues and I and resolving the easy stuff first ,like fillings and a cleaning. I will need 3 teeth pulled on each side of my lower jaw and I would like implants rather than a partial denture. I am very afraid of having the teeth extracted due to my diabetes. I have heard diabetics can become very sick after teeth extractions. Also I wonder if anyone has had implants as a diabetic, this procedure will be very costly and I don't want to waste my money if the implants will fail because of my diabetes. The thought of a partial denture is very depressing to me and I feel overwhelmed with this, first cancer, then diabetes, and now so many issues with my teeth. If anyone has had teeth extractions, implants, or a partial as a diabetic I would love to hear how it worked out for you. I am really feeling anxious over this.
Hi Lola! I am a dentist and a diabetic T1. You should have no problem with your teeth extractions and implant placements. First, I am sure your dentist will take every precaution to make sure you take antibiotic therapy during and after both procedures. I believe implants are the best investment anyone could make. If done correctly, they truly are teeth for life. However, like other teeth, if neglected they can fail too. So it is important for you to understand that you must take care, brush and have regular checkups after implants are placed. Good luck and if you have any other questions please ask!
Wow you have been through a lot. I am very happy to hear you are now cancer free.
I have had my wisdom teeth removed as a type 1 and I have had sedation dentistry done. I had no problem with the extractions or afterwards. I didn't have the antibiotic therapy.
For the sedation dentistry, I was nervous about being put under and monitoring my BG. I was at a medical/dental facility where they monitored my heart, but my husband did my BG monitoring. I purposely ran a little high before the procedure - which for a root canal and some fillings redone took about 3 hours. I chose sedation dentistry because I metabolize novocaine too fast for it to take any effect. My husband stayed with me the entire time and checked my BG every 15 minutes. They also woke me up enough to drink some juice halfway through the procedure - I don't remember that. It all went well and I had no problems. I wish you the best of luck with your dentistry.
Thanks for the information!
Just had tooth extracted few weeks ago too. If anything, my bg is harder to control now because my ISF and I:C numbers are changing. For the better! I used to take 7unit bolus for a particular meal, but now I can eat same meal with no bolus, and my bg will actually drop over a few hours… Once it seems stable, I’ll need to redo basal and other testing I guess. My tooth was infected too, which was probably causing all sorts of issues, who knows for sure. Good luck with yours!
Thank you for your reply. My A1c was 6.8 last time, do you think this is low enough for implants. Also I am stressed about finding someone who can do the procedure. Would you advice an oral surgeon only. I would like to find a dentist who can the implants and restorations so I don't have to go to two places. Do you think this is a bad idea? I see a lot of advertisements for implants, but don't know who to go to and it is causing me a lot of stress. I went to a cosmetic dentist in town and he was to refer me to an oral surgeon, however I don't feel confident in his skills after meeting him. Any information would be helpful. Thanks