If you have missing teeth that you want to fix, you're likely looking into dental implant treatment as a way to fix them for good. However, you will need to make sure that you have the following problems under control before you move forward with the procedure.

Smoking

Anybody that regularly smokes needs to consider quitting this habit before they get their dental implants installed. That is because smoking is known to slow down how quickly wounds can heal in your mouth, which is due to how smoking reduces blood circulation in that area of the body.

Once an implant has been inserted into the jawbone, it will take several months for the area to completely heal. During this time, the jawbone actually fuses with your implant and helps it stabilize. When fusion is complete, the implant will be just as stable in the jaw as a real tooth. However, smoking can cause this entire healing process to be slowed down to the point where the implant may not fully integrate with the jawbone.

You'll need to give up smoking prior to having the implant installed, and plan to give it up through the entire healing process as well. Your dentist can provide more information on the benefits of giving up smoking for this procedure.

Blood Sugar Issues

If you do not have good control over your blood sugar levels, you will have issues with the surgical site healing correctly after receiving a dental implant. This is common with people that do not know how to control their diabetes, or are not willing to take steps to control it. Your dentist will tell you about how blood sugar that is out of control can lead to the gum tissue becoming inflamed, or having increased levels of bacteria inside your mouth that lead to an infection.

Teeth Grinding

Do you grind your teeth while you are sleeping? If so, this can cause problems with the implant being shifted during the healing process. You may be recommended a mouth guard to help prevent this from happening, but you'll want to make sure that you are comfortable wearing it before you get the dental implant. Give the mouth guard a trial run to make sure that it is comfortable and that you'll continue to wear it.

For more information on how these issues can affect a dental implant, you'll want to meet with your dentist for a consultation.