I’m about to get two dental implants and am trying to decide between titanium or zirconia. I’m a little uncomfortable with the idea of metal in my body but want to get other opinions before finalizing my decision.
Benny
Dear Benny,
Unless you have a specific allergy to titanium, that’s what I’d go with. Metal in the body isn’t a negative thing. In fact, there are metals such as iron or zinc which are required to exist in our body in order to function properly.
While there is a portion of the population which has a sensitivity to metals such as nickel, titanium is very biocompatible. It’s been used for decades in things like hip replacements. You shouldn’t have any trouble with that unless you have a rare specific allergy to titanium.
The only reason I’m suggesting the titanium over the zirconia is the amount of data we have on the titanium. Because these have been around for decades, we know the type of longevity they have. While the zirconia implants have as high a success rate in being initially successful, we don’t have any long-term data on them.
Who Should Place Your Dental Implants
The most important aspect to this for you will be who places your dental implants. You want a dentist with significant training in this procedure. It’s advanced and requires surgery. It’s not taught in dental school. They have to invest in post-doctoral training in order to do this properly.
Ideally, you’d want someone who has studied with the Dawson Academy, The Las Vegas Institute of Advanced Dental Studies, or the Misch Institute. Dr. Thein has gone above and beyond and studied at several locations and is a Diplomate at both the American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry and International Congress of Oral Implantology. This is the highest level of expertise a dentist can attain.
This blog is brought to you by La Crescenta Dentist Dr. Robert Thein.