Skin rash after titanium dental implants (5 in Maxilla)

I had five pure titanium dental implants five weeks ago and at the same time preventitive penicillin taken orally and in tablet form. The following day an area around my groin broke out in a typical hive rash. this soon spread to my torso, arms and shoulders. WEnt back to the dental surgeon and he prescribed a none penicillin antibiotic the course of which I completed,taking 7 days. The rash did not recede so went back to him and he gave me two injections of hydro-cortisone (100mgx2) which seemed to help. Since then the rash has developed into an eczema type rash. My GP prescribed a cream which does not seem to help and the rash seems to come and go with varying degrees of intensity and a peculiar prickly itch which is bordering on the painful. Cortizone cream helps a little but I am concerned that the implants might have something to do with this violent reaction to the surgery/antibiotic/ trauma of the surgery. My dental surgeon is a respected and senior member of the profession and has had no cases of this sort in over three thousand ops. Any ideas?  Philip

[veruska23]

Dear Londonstreet,

Despite of the fact that titanium is usually considered "intert", one can develop allergy to it. Physico-chemically it belongs to so called transitionmetals and those metals can bind to enzymes and other proteins in the body and thus trigger inflammation.

You can read more how to test against titanium with help of blood test -MELISA at the following website:
www.melisa.org

Good luck!

[londonstreet]

Thank you Melisa. I saw my Dr again yesterday and he was certain this damn rash was a typical reaction to the medication Amoxicillin. My dental surgeon, who is a specialist in implant surgery, has never seen it before, after over 3000 separate operations and claims he has researched the "problem" and there is no published papers describing titanium side affects. So I will continue with the antihistamine and anti itch creams until next week and see the doc again if no improvement is evident. Any one out there has had any experience with penicillin allergies?.  Are there any cardinal symptoms of titanium allergy and notes on it's progress? Do they come in groups or single symptoms? My problem is the symptoms started at the same time as I had the implants and ingested the Amoxicillin so don't know which is the culprit. Would I react so quickly to titanium seeing that it is an "inert" metal.  as ever Philip

[veruska23]

Dear Londonstreet,

I am sure you have a brilliant dental surgeon but I can assure you, allergic symptoms after titanium implants exist and might be more common than expected. The best way is to recommend your surgeon to look at our website: www.melisa.org and read cases where health problems disappeared after removal of implants. There are also several scientific articles on this very important issue.
It seems that allergy to titanium as well as other side-effects (for example cardiac problems, fatigue) are increasing. This might be due to the widespread use of titanium dioxide as a colouring agent E171 in foodstuffs, medicines, sunscreens and other items.
Regarding the ampicillin rash, even this seemingly different event might be connected with metal exposure: the major metabolite of penicillin in vivo is penicillamin - a drug known for its metal-mobilising properties. In people sensitized to metals, mobilisation of the allergen might results in a skin rash. These effects are well-known to doctors using D-penicillamin for treatment of various diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
If you, by any chance, suffer from allergy to nickel or other metals or if you have silver or gold fillings in your mouth, this might increase the probability of metal sensitization.
The MELISA blood test can objectively diagnose allergy to the metals you are currently exposed to.
I hope this helps.

Vera Stejskal
Associated Prof of Immunology
University of Stockholm, Sweden

[londonstreet]

Dear Professor Stejskal, Many thanks for taking the trouble in answering my cry for help. The implants used in my operation were manufactured in Sweden and my dental surgeon assured me they were the best! I will pass on your helpful advice to him and my GP very quickly and hope they will take up your invitation to log on to the web and look at the information on www.melisa.org. Your comments and opinion are much appreciated. Tak.  Philip  

[KFB818]

Come join the titanium/vanadium/aluminum dental implant forum.  There are others who have titanium implants and have problems.  

[catnip009]

I am contemplating having some titanium implants, but remember what how ill I became with terrible rashes, joint pain and low grade fever from nickel crowns (The dentist promised noble metal and lied for extra profit.)  I am wondering if your implants contain aluminum or another metal?  See link:  http://www.*************.com/Composition_Of_Dental_Implants.php
I can't even use deodorant with aluminum because it causes weeping sores and swollen glands.  

"The grade five titanium named, Titanium6AL-4V (signifying the Titanium alloy containing 6% Aluminum and 4% Vanadium alloy) is believed to offer similar osseointegration levels as commercially pure titanium. Ti-6Al-4V alloy offers better tensile strength and fracture resistance. Today most implants are still made out of commercially pure titanium (grades 1 to 4), but some implant systems (Endopore and NanoTite) are fabricated out of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy. Implant surfaces may be modified either by plasma spraying, anodizing, etching or sandblasting to increase the surface area and the integration potential of the implant."

[jc846]

I received 3 dental implants in December 2010.  A few weeks after that I started to have inflamation (inflammation) on my thighs with painful eruptions (or bumps).  Since that time, I have developed much inflamation (inflammation) on my thighs, calves and arms.  I have red itchy, painful bumps all over me.  I can only wear very loose clothing because it is hurts for me to have clothing rubbing against my skin.  I have been to about many dermatologists and they don't know how to help me.  I have been given antistimines, cortisone creams and predinisone.  The cortisone cream helps, but I don't want to use it anymore because I am afraid of causing more damage to my body.  LondonStreet, you are not alone.  The doctor that put in the implants said that it is impossible to have a reaction to titanium.  The dermatologists agree.  They don't believe that implants in my mouth could be causing me to have skin problems on the rest of my body.
My mouth looks perfect.  the gums are very healthy and there is no pain.
I'm afraid I am going to have my perfect implants pulled out.  The cost of all of this has been so expensive, not to mention how very upsetting it is.  I simply don't know what the answer is.

[willowhollow]

thank you so much for the information!  Two days after implant surgery I noticed an itchy rash on my neck, which spread to my lower back. It drives me crazy, but after reading your post I do not feel so alone!