Should My Husband Replace His Dental Implants?
Posted by Annmarie SanSevero
My husband has gotten six dental implants on his lower arch. Right now he is wearing a temporary acrylic denture. Soon, he will have the permanent one. My concern is that I can smell the implants. I think this is because they are metal. I’m worried that the metal is reacting inside his mouth. I want him to switch them out for some that are not metal. My husband’s dentist thinks I’m being ridiculous and joked that I probably got that off of some “natural news” site. I was a bit offended. I just want to make sure my husband is okay. Is there anything I can say that will convince his dentist? My husband feels like he’s caught between the two of us so I don’t want to put pressure on him without having some good documentation.
Presley
Dear Presley,
I can tell you love your husband and are anxious about his care and health. I’m sorry that the dentist was dismissive and a bit rude to you about your concerns. One of the roles of a dentist is to explain procedures as well as answer questions. Mocking the family of patients is not a very kind or professional thing to do.
All of that being said, I do not think the smell you are experiencing is from your husband’s dental implants. The metal used in traditional dental implants is titanium. This metal is very inert and biocompatible. It’s been used for decades as prosthetics in the body with no problems.
Because it is inert, it does not really have a smell. Your husband’s dentist may have some in his office. You could ask to smell one. it won’t smell metallic at all.
So, what are you smelling? The most likely candidate is that something is getting caught in your husband’s acrylic dentures. If food and other bacteria get caught in there, then it will have a pretty pungent smell. What he may need is something like a Waterpik to help him get everything out of that area. I’d start with that.
The Problem with Replacing Dental Implants
While metal free dental implants are fine, too, I would not remove dental implants unless it was absolutely necessary.
In order to replace dental implants, it’s not as simple as taking out the old implants and then replacing them with the new ones. To remove the dental implants will require a surgery. Then, you will need to refill the space left in the bone from where the implants were removed. This is done with another procedure known as bone grafting. Then, he will need a third additional surgery to get the new dental implants placed.
That is three different times that complications could develop. When you have an already successful case, I would leave them alone.
This blog is brought to you by Franklin, TN Dentist Dr. Christopher Weber.
