Metal Allergies & Dental Implants

I need to replace a tooth and hope to get a dental implant. However, I do have some metal allergies and I don’t know if that will complicate anything. So far, they know I am allergic to nickel, mercury, and cobalt. Will this prevent me from getting the implant?

Dennis

Dear Dennis,

dental implants

You made a great choice in your desire to get a dental implant. They are the best replacement options for your teeth. In general, as long as you are in good general health, you should be able to get a dental implant.

None of the metals you listed are part of dental implants. Instead, these are made of titanium, which is quite biocompatible. Titanium has been used in prosthetics for decades with great success, including hip replacements.

In truth, you should have no problem with using traditional implants. If you are still nervous because of your allergies, you have two other options.

First, you can have an allergy test specifically to test for titanium. This will give you some peace of mind going into the procedure. A second option is to have zirconia implants placed. These are metal-free. They are newer and do not have much data as to their longevity, but there is nothing to indicate they won’t last as long as their titanium implants.

Where you may run into some difficulty with the second option is finding a dentist who works with them. That is mostly because they are new and dentists tend to work with what they’re used to and comfortable with. But, I’m sure if you called around, you’d be able to get someone.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs Foreman and Thimmesch.