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If you have been through cancer treatment or you live with diabetes, you may have been told dental implants are not for you. That is often not the full picture. Many cancer survivors and people with diabetes do qualify for full mouth dental implants. What matters most is timing, how well your condition is managed, and a care team that knows your medical history.
Can You Have Dental Work Done While on Chemo?
Most providers will not place implants during active chemotherapy. Chemo lowers your immune system and slows healing. That raises the infection risk at the surgery site (American Dental Association). Urgent or restorative dental work is sometimes possible mid-treatment. It has to be timed around your blood counts and approved by your oncologist.
For implants, the rule of thumb is to finish active treatment first. Most providers wait at least 6 to 12 months after chemo or head and neck radiation. This gives your body time to recover (NCBI). If radiation hit the jaw or neck, your plan may need extra care. It does not always mean no.
Trish is a Nuvia patient who initially was not a candidate for treatment due to her BMI. As she worked with her primary doctor to lower it, she learned she had cancer. Two weeks after the call that she was in remission she called Nuvia to get her new smile. The Phoenix team was able to work with her and she has now been enjoying her permanent teeth for nearly 3 years.
Dental Implants With Diabetes
Diabetes by itself does not rule you out. What matters is control.
Patients with well-managed diabetes (an HbA1c under about 7%) see implant success rates of 87% to 96% over five years. That is close to the success rate of dental implants reported by large studies (93-98% of providers across the country, {{success_rate}} success rate at Nuvia). (1)(NIH systematic review). Patients with uncontrolled diabetes face much higher failure rates. The body heals more slowly and infections take hold faster.
One Nuvia patient, Tammy came to Nuvia after having her teeth removed elsewhere. After taking scans of her mouth and jaw, it looked like she was a great candidate for full mouth dental implants. The only hold up on getting her treatment started was that her A1c levels were too high. Tammy worked hard on managing her diabetes and was able to get her A1c levels down so she could get permanent teeth in 24 hours.
Despite having diabetes, she now has a Nuvia smile that has given her the confidence to go out and share her smile with others.
“Now I can go out to eat and I don’t have to hide in a corner anymore!... Just being able to go out in public is huge. This made a world of difference for me”.
If your A1c is above target, your provider may ask you to lower it first. You would work with your doctor before any implant work begins. That is not always a rejection. It is a step to make sure your implants last.
What Actually Decides Dental Implant Eligibility
Online articles cannot tell you yes or no. The real review happens in person. At a Nuvia consultation, your team looks at your full medical history, current medications, jawbone, gums, and any active conditions.
Every Nuvia case is handled by a full team: an oral surgeon, a restorative dentist, and a CRNA. That team setup is part of why patients with complex histories are often still able to move forward.
See Where You Stand
If you have been told no in the past, it is worth checking again. Provider experience levels can make a difference and because Nuvia does these procedures day in and day out, we can often take more complex cases that have been turned away elsewhere. The 60-second quiz is free, takes about a minute, and tells you whether to schedule a consultation.
Sources:
Pjetursson, B. E., Thoma, D., Jung, R., Zwahlen, M., & Zembic, A. (2012). A systematic review of the survival and complication rates of implant-supported fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) after a mean observation period of at least 5 years. Clinical Oral Implants Research, 23(Suppl 6), 22-38.
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