Posted by writeradmin
My husband recently had six dental implants placed in his lower jaw. I feel certain the metal is reacting to something in his body because they smell horrible. Right now he only has the temporary acrylic denture right now, so I’m thinking it would be better for him to switch the implants out while there is still time. I understand there are non-metal implants now. I think that would be a better option for him. His dentist keeps insisting that is a bad idea. My guess is that he just doesn’t do the non-metal implants (he never offered them to begin with) so he doesn’t want to risk us going somewhere else. Is there some documentation you can give me to convice him?
Melissa
Dear Melissa,
I am certain there is a reason for the smell that you can pin down and do something about. We’ll address a possibility in a moment. That being said, I do not think that the metal implants are the problem. Here is why. The metal used in traditional dental implants is titanium. This is an inert metal that has been used for decades in all types of prosthetics because it is so bio-compatible. There are decades of data on its use in the body, not just for dental work but also for hip and knee replacements. It is so inert it doesn’t even have a smell. I bet if you asked the dentist to allow you to smell one, he would.
You would not want your husband to have to switch his dental implants at this stage unless absolutely necessary. If you remove the implants, whatever bone that has already integrated with the implant (which is the goal) will come out with the prosthetic. Now, he will have missing bone structure that will have to be filled in order to procede with any implant. This will require him to have a bone grafting procedure done. After that heals, it will be time for him to have yet ANOTHER surgical procedure to get his new implants. That just gets him back to where he is now. Before putting your husband (and your budget) through all of that, I would eliminate the much more likely possibilities.
The first thing which comes to mind is that food or other bacteria is getting caught in or under his temporary denture, which may not be fit securely. This would cause a horrible smell. Try having him use something like a WaterPik to get in all those hard to reach hidden crannies. Additionally, he can do a swish and rinse once a week with a peroxide and water mixture. Don’t do it more than that or he will risk an oral yeast infection. Bacteria is the most likely scenario so start there.
This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentist Dr. John Theriot.