If one of your teeth is damaged, you may be excited to know that you can replace it with a dental implant. An implant is a great alternative as it looks and feels like a real tooth. But what if you feel your body rejecting your new dental implant?
Dental implants are typically made from titanium metal alloys, and in some very rare cases, people may experience titanium allergy symptoms. You can continue reading our article to learn how to notice these symptoms and when to see your dentist for a full diagnosis.
What are Dental Implants?
These artificial replacements of tooth roots are either in the form of screws, cylinders or blades. The titanium in the implants combines with the jawbone, ensuring that the implant does not slip or make a sound. Implants function like natural teeth in many ways.
When you recover from implant surgery, a crown is attached to the part of the implant that protrudes from the gum line.
How Long Can You Wait for Your Implant Site to Heal?
Dental implant surgery is performed in stages, each of which requires adequate recovery time afterward. These stages include removing the damaged tooth, bone grafting (if needed), dental implant placement, abutment placement, and placement of your artificial tooth (crown). After your implant is in place, your oral surgeon will encourage you to rest and practice good oral hygiene to heal the area around the titanium screw. This may take several months.
Am I Rejecting My Implant?
While titanium usually causes fewer problems than other metals, in very rare cases some people may be allergic to it.
He states that due to wear of the implants, titanium alloy particles can accumulate in the surrounding tissues. In some people, this can cause bone loss due to inflammatory reactions or hypersensitivity reactions that cause implant failure.
So, how do I know if I have a dental implant allergy?
.Erythema (in this case, skin redness in the tissues around the implant)
.Urticaria (hives that may appear on the skin or on the gum surface)
.Eczema (itchy inflammation of the skin or gum tissue)
.Swelling or pain
.Necrosis (in this case, death of cells or tissues around the implant)
.Toxic reactions in other tissues cause yellow nail syndrome (can also affect the lungs and respiratory tract)
.Bone loss
If you notice any of these symptoms, you should contact your dentist immediately.
Diagnosing Titanium Allergy
If medicine or dentists suspect that you may be allergic to the titanium in your dental implant, the first step is to perform diagnostic tests, such as a patch test. Some doctors may also recommend in vitro blood tests to detect metal allergy, including the lymphocyte transformation test, lymphocyte migration inhibition test, and the commercially available MELISA test( MELISA is an optimized, clinically validated blood test which measures hypersensitivity to multiple metals from a single sample).
Some experts point out that zirconia implants can be an alternative to titanium implants. However, there is no long-term clinical data on their use, so your dentist is the best person to talk to about alternative options.
