Dental Metal Allergies

OOPS, golly, why are dentists, in the 21st century still using dental amalgam(silver-mercury) fillings? Don't they know that mercury is a neurotoxin, a poison? Yet how about giving children immunization shots with mercury as a preservative. However, this practice is being eliminated, thank God.

There is a history of patients with allergies to dental metals, even some gold alloys are being suggested to be causes of dental inflammations and dental disease. If a patient is considered to be a potential dental metals allergy patients, test should be performed to find which materials they are most prone to react with. There are more patients being reported to be allergic to titanium dental implants.

Titanium implants can be coated with a bone like material(those that we use), and the reactive index of those implants is less than the titanium implants.

There are two tests that can be performed for dental metal allergies, or any other dental material for that matter. One is a meridian acupuncture computer assisted test. Two is a blood serum allergy test. We have used both, on occasions for about 15 years. They are helpful, whenever a patient is concerned or has a question about dental materials, both restorative or implant materials. The costs of those tests are approximately 500.0.

Implant dentistry used to have ceramic implants; they were available in the seventies and eighties and discontinued because since they could not be submerged; they had a lesser success rate. However, we have hundreds of successful ceramic implants still doing well for our patients from the eighties. Wow, we now have another ceramic implant for patients that are allergic to titanium implants! It is a zirconia implant( the same material as zirconia crowns). It is a good alternative, but with the same limitations and risks that the all ceramic implants of the earlier implant years(fracture & movement causing failure before healed).

Yes, what we place in patients' mouths is an important consideration for their optimal dental and overall physical health. Call or email any questions you may have.

Ronald P LuBovich DDS, MSD, FIDS, FICOI

PS, Dr. L has performed research and published dental articles on dental materials; that is part of his passion in providing excellence in cosmetic and implant dentistry for our incredible patients!