Does Rheumatoid Arthritis Affect Dental Implants?

While dental implants almost always succeed, your health could still throw a wrench in things. Research shows that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) will increase a patient’s risk of treatment failure. Indeed, the condition can make your smile’s long-term restoration much less likely. As for the reasons behind these conclusions, your Springfield dentist will gladly explain. Just keep reading to learn how rheumatoid arthritis can affect dental implants, as well as what you should do in response.

Some Context on Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

Before you reach the main point, you’d do well to review the basics of rheumatoid arthritis. How it can harm dental implants won’t make much sense otherwise.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a type of arthritis, the latter referring to swelling and tenderness in the joints. It occurs when your immune system attacks your own body’s tissues by mistake. As this attack continues, a person will experience pain, swelling, and general irritation in their joints. They can also suffer damage to other parts of their body, especially the skin, eyes, lungs, and blood vessels.

Notably, RA can make your joints bend and shift oddly over time. These effects can make various daily activities – whether at home or at work – much harder.

RA Can (Indirectly) Make Implants Fail

It may sound odd that rheumatoid arthritis can cause implant failure. However, this truth makes sense when you consider the prior context.

People with RA struggle to clean their smiles well. Since the joints in their hands feel stiff and achy, they often can’t move a toothbrush (or floss) enough for good oral care. The result is that they’re more likely to develop peri-implantitis – an infection of the gum tissue near their implant posts. As you’d expect, this latter problem can quickly cause dental implants to fail and stop working.

A patient’s RA medication can also interfere with implants. As these medicines suppress the immune system, they may disrupt the fusion process that ensures treatment success.

Ask Your Dentist About Candidacy

Despite the facts above, RA doesn’t make implant treatment impossible. You’ll just need to consult a dentist about your candidacy first.

Patients with RA can still be good implant candidates in many cases. Indeed, you should qualify as long as your gum tissue and jaw density are healthy enough. The dentist will need to ask about your medications, though, and they may request that you stop taking them in the weeks around surgery. You might also have to change your oral health habits prior to treatment.

Rheumatoid arthritis does affect dental implants, but it needn’t ruin them. Simply keep the risk in mind as you pursue a full smile.

About the Practice

Advanced Dental Care of Springfield is based in Springfield, IL. Led by Drs. Victoria Driskill and John Neely, our practice is ever eager and ready to transform your smile. We thus offer preventive, cosmetic, and restorative treatments, all tailored to your unique oral needs. Our team even has what it takes to place dental implants in-house! For more details or to book a visit, please contact us on our website or by phone at (217)-546-3333.