Should I Take Vitamins Prior to Dental Implant Surgery?

I’m in the process of saving up for dental implants, and it recently occurred to me that maybe I should be doing something to help prime myself for success. I spoke to my doctor about his success rate and he says he does at least 25 per year and has only had two fail the entire time, so I feel very good about that. However, if there’s more I can be doing, like taking specific vitamins, to make sure I do well during surgery and don’t have trouble with integration, I’d like to get started on my regimen now. For what it’s worth, I don’t have any health conditions (I’m healthy and am an avid runner) and my dental implant surgery will be 6-9 months from now.

Thank you,

Dale

Dear Dale,

It’s awesome that you’re being so proactive! People of average health usually come through with flying colors. You’re already healthy and it sounds like you’re probably not a smoker. Those are the two biggest concerns going into dental implant surgery.

Supplements Only Help if You Have a Deficiency

In terms of boosting your health with vitamins beforehand, it’s important to note that taking supplements can only help if you have a deficiency in a specific vitamin or mineral. If you’re not deficient, taking extra won’t help and could potentially cause issues. That in mind, it may be worthwhile to visit a nutritionist or physician before you change anything up. However, research shows that a huge portion of the population is at risk for at least one vitamin deficiency.

Be Wary of Supplementation

Many supplements on the market today are not labeled correctly and can contain harmful ingredients. Furthermore, it’s easy to make missteps when prescribing your own vitamin regimen. For example, most people know vitamin E is associated with skin health, so some might take it prior to surgery. This is actually a bad idea because it can increase bleeding. In addition, people don’t “overdose” on vitamins when they get them from their food, but you can take too much of certain things in supplement form. Plus, our bodies leverage countless nutrients and we’re just now learning how they all work together to create optimal health. It’s always better to get nutrients from food rather than supplements for these reasons, and this is also why you should talk to a specialist before choosing to supplement.

What You May Want to Supplement with Before Getting Dental Implants

While a myriad of nutrients come into play with bone and tissue health and healing, your doctor or nutritionist may recommend supplementing with one or more of the vitamins and minerals outlined below.

• Calcium: Even though a large part of the population already takes calcium supplements, research shows most aren’t getting enough. It’s one of the biggest building blocks of bones.
• Vitamin D: About 95% of adults aren’t getting adequate vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium.
• Vitamin K: Vitamin K plays a support role with calcium as well, enabling it to bind to bones and tissue. It also helps with the coagulation of blood, an essential part of healing.
• Phosphorus: Phosphorous accounts for more than half the mineral mass of your bones.
• Magnesium: and 61% aren’t getting enough magnesium, which are essential for bone development.
• Potassium: Generally speaking, potassium is a stabilizer. It helps the body cope with our acidic diets, so that it doesn’t pull calcium salts from the bone and demineralize.
• Vitamin A: There are a number of benefits associated with vitamin A, from stronger bones through an improved immune system, and better healing.
• B Complex Vitamins: Several B vitamins exist and they each work a bit differently. Many support the immune system and can help keep inflammation at bay.
• Vitamin C: Typically associated with a healthy immune system, vitamin C can help improve tissue health and healing too.
• Iron: Those who don’t eat meat and women are often low in iron, which is necessary for the transport of oxygen throughout the body. Iron deficiency is typically referred to as anemia, which can cause delays in healing.
• Zinc: When the body heals or repairs itself, it leverages zinc to kickstart reactions.

This blog is sponsored by Dr. Steve Sirin, a dental implant provider in Elgin, Illinois.