Our Blog
29
Jan
Titanium Allergy Is Rare, but Dental Implant Options Exist
As with practically every field of medicine these days, there are many alarmists who are trying to warn you about a supposedly “secret” condition that dentists are trying to hide: titanium allergy. To hear them tell it, the dental implant industry is trying to silence people talking about this hidden danger of dental implants.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Titanium allergy is a recognized medical condition, and it has been studied and written about in mainstream scientific literature. Dental implant options have even been developed for people who experience this or other problems related to titanium dental implants.
What Is Titanium Allergy?
A titanium allergy is like any other allergy. Although titanium oxide is an inert, stable compound, your immune system regards it as a threat and activates your body’s defenses against it. This can result in swelling at the site of the implant, and will likely lead to dental implant failure.
You may also experience flu-like symptoms, since most of what we think of as the flu isn’t the sickness itself but the body’s response to it. If you have other allergies, you know what this is like: annoying and capable of disrupting your normal function, but rarely dangerous.
How Common Is Titanium Allergy?
Titanium allergy is not very common. One of the larger studies on titanium allergy looked at 1500 consecutive dental implant patients, and tested likely candidates for titanium allergy. The people tested had unexplained dental implant failure, allergic-type response following surgery, or exposure to a lot of titanium during surgery.
In testing, they found 9 people had titanium allergies, about 0.6%. Five of the 9 (56%) had unexplained dental implant failures.
Alternatives Exist
If you have or if you are concerned about titanium allergy, you can still get dental implants. There are many nonmetal implants that have been cleared by the FDA. They have not been around as long as titanium implants and haven’t been studied as thoroughly, but early data suggests they are as good as titanium dental implants.
Dr. Nicolas A. Ravon is a board-certified periodontist with an international background in a wide variety of dental implants and procedures.
If you have been told you can’t get dental implants, if you are concerned about dental implants, even if you’ve had a prior bad experience with dental implants, you don’t have to give up on having a smile as functional and attractive as your natural smile. There may be a solution just right for you.
To learn more, please contact Nicolas A. Ravon, DDS, MSD in Beverly Hills today for an appointment.