Dental Implants for Women With Osteoporosis

Improved self-confidence and improved ability to speak and eat are just a few of the perks dental implant patients get to enjoy. We’ve seen countless patients here in Pittsburgh, PA enjoy a beautiful, restored smile with the help of dental implants. When it comes to starting the dental implant process, we understand that our patients have a variety of concerns that are specific to their oral health and health history. We’ve noticed that many of our patients are typically worried about their jawbone density, especially for those affected by osteoporosis. Many postmenopausal women, in particular, are hesitant to pursue this restoration for fear of dental implant failure. Fortunately, many studies have shown that dental implants can still be an effective solution for tooth loss for patients with osteoporosis. To explain more on this subject, Drs. Dugan & Sweeney give their readers an in-depth look at how dental implants can be an effective solution for women dealing with osteoporosis.

What is Osteoporosis?

Before we explain why dental implants are a great option for patients with osteoporosis, let’s take a look at some of the basics of osteoporosis and how it will affect your dental implant treatment. What is osteoporosis? This disease refers to patients that lose too much bone, make too little bone or a combination of both these problems. Bones are not a lifeless part of the body. They are actually a living, growing tissue that is made up of living bone cells, collagen, and calcium-phosphate mineral complexes.

Bones continue to grow and get denser even after we stop growing and getting taller. Peak bone mass, which usually occurs during the ages of 18 and 25, is the time where you will have the greatest amount of bone you will ever have. Having great bone density at the time of peak bone mass makes you less likely to develop osteoporosis later down the line. After peak bone mass, you can start to slowly lose more bone than you form.

Issues with bone loss can occur in both men and women during their midlife. However, this issue is particularly relevant for women are are postmenopausal. This occurs because estrogen drops when women reach menopause and is a hormone that helps protect bones. This is also a prominent issue for women because women will typically have smaller, thinner bones to begin with. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, 80% of the 10 million Americans with osteoporosis are women. Some of the controllable risk factors to look out for include:

• Being inactive
• Smoking
• Losing excessive amount of weight
• Not getting sufficient calcium and vitamin D

Dental Implant Patients With Osteoporosis

As we know, jawbone density is a crucial factor for the success of dental implant treatment. With this in mind, you can understand why dental implants may seem like an impossible solution for patients dealing with osteoporosis. Despite this concern, a study published in the Journal of Oral Implantology found that women with osteoporosis can have a successful treatment with the proper management of their bone loss.

Bisphosphonate, a drug used for osteoporosis, can prevent bones from getting blood, which will have disastrous effects for the jawbone that will need to heal after dental implant surgery. During this critical time, osseointegration needs to occur for dental implants to be stable. A recent study looked at whether patients taking bisphosphonates are more likely to experience complications during this healing period. During the study, researchers followed 24 postmenopausal women that had dental implants placed. 12 of the women were taking bisphosphonate while the other dozen did not have osteoporosis and were not taking the drug. The study then examined these women a year later and found that the results were successful in both groups.

Researchers concluded that immediately placing dental implants after tooth extraction is the best way to decrease the risk of complications for patients that are taking bisphosphonate.

Contact our Office in Pittsburgh, PA

Immediately treating tooth loss is recommended for all patients, whether they deal with osteoporosis or not. It’s important to act quickly with tooth loss to minimize the damage that can occur to your remaining teeth and underlying jawbone. If you’re interested in using dental implants to restore your smile, we encourage our patients to learn more about this restoration by exploring this educational infosite. To get started on your dental implant process, contact our office today to schedule your one-on-one consultation!