Glossary

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a syndrome characterized by disordered metabolism and abnormally high blood sugar resulting from insufficient levels of a hormone called insulin. Individuals with DM suffer from a number of symptoms that can complicate otherwise routine health procedures. In implant dentistry, good diabetic control is a prerequisite to achieving and maintaining osseointegration for implant success. Patients who suffer from DM typically experience a delay in wound healing which may prevent the surgery or implantation site from properly retaining the prosthesis or graft. Due to this, patients with DM are more prone to healing concerns, osseointegration issues, and implant failure. To give dental implants and prostheses the highest rate of success, patients should have their diabetes mellitus well-regulated prior to and following the procedure to ensure proper and timely osseointegration takes place. Patients with well-controlled DM often experience healing, osseointegration, and implant success rates similar to non-diabetes patients.

A diagnostic wax-up is a laboratory procedure in which teeth are created in wax according to a patient’s planned restoration. It may be used to evaluate the feasibility of a proposed plan or to fabricate a radiographic template, a surgical guide, or laboratory guide. In order to complete a diagnostic wax-up, the dental practitioner should carefully and precisely write the wax-up prescription with the details and desired outcome for the technician to replicate. It is then the laboratory’s and technician’s job to ensure that proper tooth alignment, position, and morphology are achieved in the creation of the wax-up. The diagnostic wax-up is an invaluable tool for determining the feasibility of a proposed treatment plan. The model may show that the desired outcome cannot realistically be achieved due to limiting factors that may not be discernible during the examination of the patient. In this way, the diagnostic wax-up prevents unnecessary and unsuccessful procedures from being performed.