My husband is in the process of receiving “all on 4’s” dental implants on the top front, where he has temporary teeth until the permanent can be implanted. I suffer from chemical sensitivity, and whenever I am close to my husband, his mouth smells like rubber. The smell is so strong.

The posts are made from titanium, and the teeth that he has in now are acrylic. My husband isn’t thrilled about having the screws in his jaw removed, but I can’t live with this chemical exposure long-term. His oral surgeon said the titanium posts were the best option for him.

Is there a less toxic material that the titanium could be replaced with?

-Rose

 

Rose,

I don’t believe that the titanium posts have any smell, especially when embedded in the bone. However, you can certainly ask your dentist to let you smell one of the implant fixtures to see if that is indeed what you are smelling.

Is it possible that you are smelling the acrylic in his temporary teeth because acrylic does give off a very slight smell. Another possibility is that he has food debris stuck somewhere that you are smelling. If that is the cause using a Waterpik is helpful, or rinsing with hydrogen peroxide can clean out the food debris. However, make sure only to use the peroxide for a couple of weeks because it could cause an oral yeast infection.

It would involve several surgical procedures to replace the titanium posts. It would involve removing some of the attached bone, which would mean bone grafting would have to be placed to grow some bone back. They would have to make new holes in the bone for zirconia posts, but there could be a reaction to the zirconia as well.

Are you having an actual sensitivity reaction, or is it that the smell is bothersome?

I wouldn’t recommend replacing the titanium posts as it could be risky, and I really don’t believe it is the smell’s source. Instead, I would recommend talking to your dentist and maybe see if it’s food debris caught in his mouth.

Take Care

 

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