I have a removable partial denture. Since getting it I have been very sick. I always felt better at night when I could remove it, but obviously during the day when I had to be presentable for work it had to go back in. I kept asking my dentist if the denture was the problem because it was the only common factor but he kept insisting it wasn’t. In a moment of desperation, I finally just went to the hospital. They told me I had some pretty good allergies to metals. There is metal in my partial. Could this be what is making me sick? If so, what can I do?
Amanda
Dear Amanda,
It always blows my mind when dentists do not consider allergies, especially since some allergies to metal are fairly common. Dentists should also be on the lookout for those with rare allergies too because they likely won’t know about them until it is too late.
One dentist told me of a patient he had who was allergic to mercury. While mercury is a toxic substance when ingested, most people are not allergic to it. This woman was and he had to be extremely careful when removing her silver amalgam fillings. Since then, he’s gone completely mercury-free.
To answer your question, yes, it is very likely your removable partial denture is making you sick. Here is what I recommend. Tell your dentist you need to replace your removable partial denture and why. If he gives you trouble about it, switch dentists. Your allergy needs to be taken seriously.
Next, you’ll have to decide on a replacement. You could get a metal-free dental bridge. Though, that requires crowning the two adjacent teeth and if they are healthy, you may not want to do that.
Another option is to get a dental implant to replace that missing tooth. Very few people have a titanium allergy, which is what traditional dental implants are made from. They are extraordinarily biocompatible. However, if you’re nervous about the titanium, there are metal free zirconia dental implants.
This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Steven Collins.