Posted by writeradmin
I need some advice. I know most dentists don’t take patients who want holistic dental care seriously, but I do have some serious metal allergies, including nickel and chromium. I need a dental implant and wanted to get a metal free ones because of my allergies. My dentist keeps telling me that they are not any good and won’t last. I don’t know what to do. Does this mean I have to get a removable denture or a dental bridge?
Amy
Dear Amy,
I am glad you wrote. While it is true that many dentists won’t even take patients looking for holistic dental care, all of them should take your metal allergies seriously. If they don’t, then I would switch dentists immediately. Both nickel and chromium are known metal allergies. I have some good news for you. It is possible for you to get a dental implant that will not interfere with your allergies.
There are two ways to do this. First, is with a traditional titanium dental implant. While these are metal, they are extremely biocompatible, in almost all cases they cause no problems. Plus, there are decades of documentation on their longevity. That being said, given the fact that you have multiple allergies, it would not hurt to have you tested for a titanium allergy according to the National Institute of Health (NIH). You can read the documentation about that here if you like medical literature.
If you don’t have an allergy to it, than the titanium would be my recommendation. If you do have an allergy to it, then I recommend you get the zirconia implants. These are metal free. I’m not sure why your dentist said they are no good. It could be he is just not used to placing them and doesn’t stock them.
Though there is not as much documentation on their longevity, that is because they haven’t been around as long. It does not mean that they are problematic. I am confident you can find a dentist who is willing to provide them for you. There are decent dentists out there who will treat patients who prefer a holistic form of care.
This blog is brought to you by Dr. John Theriot, a dentist who listens to patients.