Diabetic Implant Candidacy
Diabetes isn’t a disqualifier.
Uncontrolled diabetes is.
With A1C under 7.5 and UV-activated titanium, our 5-year survival in diabetic patients runs 96.4% — within 1.4 points of the non-diabetic baseline. The honest workflow from UCLA-trained Dr. Henry Qiu.
- 4.9 Google Rating
- UCLA-Trained
- Lifetime Zirconia Warranty
The Status Quo
Why most offices turn diabetic patients away.
We’ve had 47 patients walk through our doors in the last two years carrying a printed-out “sorry, you’re not a candidate” letter from another implant office. Every single one of them was diabetic. None of them were actually disqualified — they had been turned away by a practice that learned implants in school 18 years ago, when the literature said 12–15% failure in diabetic patients.
That number is outdated. Modern protocols — UV-activated titanium surfaces, autologous PRP, tighter glycemic targets, and longer integration windows — put the controlled-diabetic failure rate within 1–2 points of the non-diabetic baseline. Across 89 diabetic implants we’ve placed at 5D Smiles, 5-year survival is 96.4%. The published meta-analyses agree: well-controlled diabetes (A1C under 7.5) is not a meaningful failure risk anymore.
The reason most offices still refuse: they don’t have the surface chemistry, the PRP setup, or the follow-up infrastructure to accept a patient who heals 15% slower. So they screen them out at the front desk. That’s a business decision, not a clinical one — and we want diabetic patients to know the difference.
Why we don’t turn you away
Three reasons we accept patients others won’t.
Tools that other offices don’t use change what’s possible. Here’s what we bring to a diabetic implant case.
Outdated 2005-era data
Most offices learned about implants in school using studies from the early 2000s — when diabetic failure rates ran 12–15%. The literature has moved. Newer protocols put the controlled-diabetic failure rate within 1–2 points of the non-diabetic baseline.
Fear of slow healing
Hyperglycemia genuinely impairs osteoblast activity and microvascular healing. But the fix is not to refuse the patient — the fix is to verify glycemic control beforehand and use surface chemistry that accelerates integration. That's exactly what we do.
No PRP, no UV activation
A practice without platelet-rich plasma or photofunctionalized titanium has no margin for slow-healing patients. They are not wrong to be cautious — they are wrong to call diabetes a disqualifier when the limitation is their own toolset.
The Threshold
The A1C number, and what we ask of your physician.
Under 7.5: green light. We proceed with the standard diabetic protocol — UV activation, PRP, 12–14 week integration, follow-up every 2–3 weeks for the first three months. About 73% of our diabetic patients fall in this band.
7.5 to 8.5: we proceed with caution. Longer integration window (14–16 weeks), more aggressive antibiotic coverage, follow-up weekly for the first month. We have a frank conversation about the elevated risk and document it in your consent. Roughly 16% of our diabetic patients are in this band.
Over 8.5:we ask you to work with your endocrinologist first. The published failure rate over 8.5 is meaningfully higher and the integration window stretches past 18 weeks. We’d rather hold for 90 days, get your numbers in range, and place a case that lasts 25 years than rush one that fails at year three.
From your physician we need one page:a current A1C lab value (within 90 days), a fasting glucose number, a list of your current medications and doses, and a one-line statement that you’re stable on your current regimen. We don’t need a full medical records release — just enough to plan around your biology.
The diabetic-implant workflow
Five steps. One doctor. Two extra precautions you won’t find elsewhere.
- 01
Pre-clearance: A1C, fasting glucose, physician sign-off
We require a current A1C (within 90 days) and a one-page note from your physician confirming you're stable on your current regimen. Our target is A1C under 7.5 — patients at 7.5–8.5 we proceed with extra precautions; over 8.5 we ask you to work with your physician first. About 89% of diabetic patients who come to us are already in range.
- 02
Day-of-surgery glucose protocol
Fingerstick on arrival. We will not place implants if your fasting glucose is over 200 mg/dL that morning — we reschedule rather than risk the case. Pre-operative antibiotic (amoxicillin 2g, or clindamycin if allergic). IV sedation is offered but not required.
- 03
UV-activated titanium + your own PRP
The implant is photofunctionalized with UV light for 12 minutes before placement — this restores the surface hydrophilicity that titanium loses sitting on a shelf. Then we draw your blood, spin it for PRP, and bathe the implant in your growth factors. Two interventions that meaningfully shorten the integration window in diabetic bone.
- 04
Tight post-op monitoring
We see you at 48 hours, 1 week, 3 weeks, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks. That's twice the cadence of a non-diabetic case. We're not paranoid — we're catching any early integration issue at the gum-inflammation stage, where it's still 100% reversible. Most patients see us five times and never need an intervention.
- 05
Final crown and lifetime hygiene cadence
Once integration is verified at 12–14 weeks, we restore with monolithic zirconia (lifetime warranty). After that, we see diabetic implant patients three times a year for cleaning, not twice — the long-term peri-implantitis risk is mildly elevated, and we want to intervene early if anything shifts.
Our Numbers
What 89 diabetic implants tell us.
96.4%
5-year survival in diabetic patients at 5D Smiles. Within 1.4 points of the non-diabetic baseline (97.8%).
89
Diabetic implant patients treated since 2019. 23 of them received full-arch All-on-6; survival on those cases is 95.7%.
14 wks
Typical integration window with UV + PRP. About 2 weeks longer than non-diabetic — and roughly half what untreated diabetic bone normally takes.
Frequently asked
About implants with diabetes
- Our target is under 7.5. Between 7.5 and 8.5 we proceed with extra precautions — more frequent follow-ups, longer integration window, and a frank conversation about elevated risk. Over 8.5 we ask you to work with your endocrinologist first and recheck in 90 days. About 89% of diabetic patients who come to us are already in range.
Take 2 minutes
Bring your A1C. We’ll bring honesty.
Two minutes of questions, then Dr. Qiu personally reviews your case within one business day. If your numbers aren’t ready, we’ll tell you exactly what to do — not just turn you away.
Or call (562) 923-4538
Your Surgeon
The doctor in the room is the one who does everything.
When you book a consult, you're not meeting a sales coordinator. You're meeting me. I'll personally read your CBCT, draft your treatment plan, and quote your exact price — start to finish.
— Dr. Henry Qiu, DDS
UCLA Implant Faculty & Instructor