Why Can I Smell My Husband’s Dental Implants?
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My husband is in the middle of getting implant supported dentures. He’s got the implants in and currently has acrylic dentures while waiting for his porcelain dentures. There’s a horrible smell coming from my husband’s mouth. I think it is because of the fact that his dentist gave him those metal implants. I think the metal is reacting with his his jaw. I would like for him to switch out the metal implants for the non-metal ones, but his dentist is refusing to do that and my husband seems fine with the way things are. It’s not just the smell, which is bad, I’m also worried about how the metal reacting will impact his health. Is there a way to convince his dentist to do this switch?
Caroline
Dear Caroline,
I can tell you are worried. I hope I can put your mind at ease. Let me assure you that whatever it is you are smelling, it is not your husband’s dental implants. The metal used for his implants is titanium. This is an inert metal and won’t really have an odor. In fact, if you asked your dentist to let you smell a new one that is out and hasn’t been used, you wouldn’t get a smell from it.
Titanium is also very biocompatible and has been used as prosthetics for decades. You won’t have anything to worry about when it comes to there being a reaction. In fact, I don’t even know of one allergy to titanium in all the years it has been used.
I do believe you are smelling something. My guess is that it has more to do with the acrylic dentures. It’s possible that there is food or other debris getting trapped in his dentures. That would lead to a horrible smell. One easy thing to try would be to get him a WaterPik. This would help him to get those areas where things are getting caught. It would help him to keep his oral health up, too. It’s a great aid to flossing.
So you know, switching out dental implants is not as easy as taking out one set and putting in another. When the implants are removed, it will take some of the bone with it. That missing bone needs to be replaced before he will be able to place any more implants. This is done with a bone grafting procedure. Once that has healed, it will be time for the new implants. That is three extra surgical procedures that your husband would need to have instead of him just keeping the ones he has. If they’re in good shape, I’d keep them.
This blog is brought to you by Mt. Dora Dentist Dr. Michelle Stillman.