I enjoy reading your blog and wanted ask your opinion on something. I recently turned 60 and even though I have worked really hard over the years to take care of my teeth, I’ve unfortunately lost some back teeth on both sides of my mouth. I’m working to save up some funds in hopes I can get implants to replace those teeth. While I think I can get the money together, I’m mostly concerned about my severe metal allergy. My doctor hasn’t seen anything like it in his career. I am proven allergic to nickel, cobalt and a slightly allergic to mercury. Even finding clothes to wear is a chore because I can’t wear jeans or sandals with buckles and I have to steer clear of all clothing with any form of metalized thread or adornments. There’s no doubt that implants will be a problem for me. I need to know if there are any implants out there that don’t have metal posts. — Jonathan
Jonathan,
Thanks for reading… sounds like your metal allergies give you quite a challenge! Nickel allergies are quite common as well is cobalt, but even though you have those allergies, titanium would be a good choice for implants. Also, your mercury sensitivity shouldn’t be an issue either because practically all dental implants are pure titanium, which is bio
compatible. If it still makes you nervous, have your allergist to test you for titanium allergy.
If you’re still uncomfortable with the titanium, you can get dental implants that are made out of zirconia. It’s a really strong ceramic and the only metal-free dental implant available right now. Not many dentists do zirconia implants, but you might do a search in your area for a holistic dentist.
This blog post is brought to you by Des Moines cosmetic dentist, Dr. Phelan Thomas. For more information on the services he provides, please visit his Des Moines cosmetic dentist website.