I Want My Husband to Switch His Dental Implants

Question submitted by: Cherie

I’ve been trying to get my husband to switch his dental implants. He was okay with it but when his dentist said it was a stupid idea he didn’t stand up to him. Here’s the deal. He’s had the metal implants placed and is using temporary dentures while the bone integrates with the implant. Then, he’ll get his permanent porcelain dentures. Since he had the procedure done, his mouth has smelled terrible. I think it is because of the fact that his dentist gave him the metal implants. I think he needs to get the ceramic ones so that they can’t react to his mouth. Is there any suggestion on how to talk his dentist into this?

Cherie

Dear Cherie,

First, I want to put your mind at ease that it is not your husband’s dental implants that are causing that smell. I know that they are made of metal, but that metal is titanium. This is very inert and has been used in prosthetics for decades. This includes other procedures than dental implants, such has joint replacements. It’s extremely biocompatible.

If you asked your husband’s dentist if you could smell an implant he has around his office, you wouldn’t be able to smell anything from it even though you are holding it. Your husband’s implants are buried under quite a bit of bone, which means you are unlikely to smell anything at all.

Second, though I agree with your dentist that it isn’t a great idea to switch his implants, I don’t like him calling the request a stupid idea. That is bad chairside manner and doesn’t make the patients very willing to ask questions in the future that could be important.

I do believe there is something causing the bad smell. The most likely scenario is that he has things getting trapped in or under his temporary dentures. I would have him get a Waterpik and use it regularly. It will help him to get those hard to reach things that are trapped and should take care of the smell fairly quickly.

Why You Don’t Want to Switch Dental Implants Unless Necessary

In order to switch out dental implants you have to first surgically remove the ones already there. When that happens, it will take some bone with it. That bone is necessary in order for any implant case to be successful. He will then need to healing from that surgery before moving forward with anything else.

Next, your husband will need a bone grafting procedure in order to replace the bone he lost during the implant removals, which is another surgery. After that has healed, that is when he can finally have new implants placed. A third additional surgery. At each surgery, things can go wrong and the procedure could fail. When you already have successful implants, that is a lot of agony and risk to put someone through unnecessarily.

This blog is brought to you by a prosthodontist in Tucson who listens, Dr. Howard Steinberg.
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