titanium/vanadium/aluminum dental implant

[curedsoon]

Eleven months ago I had a titanium alloy dental implant along with a sinus lift and bovine bone graft.  The surgery was successful and the implant has since integrated with the bone.  One to two months after the surgery I started having cramps in the lower extremities that progressed to constant aching in the feet and knees.  Five months after the implant I elected to have the swine flu vaccination which resulted in a numb feeling and tingling in the extremities along with diarrhea and dizziness that subsided after a few days.  Since then the tingling has combined with the aching in the lower extremities and progressed upward to include the thighs.  Exercise makes all of the symptoms worse, as I experience severe aching and muscle twitching after any kind of physical activity.  A MRI of the brain and neck revealed increased areas of signal in the brain not consistent with ms.  Blood tests suggest autoimmune disfunction (positive ana, antithyroid antibodies, high IgG for parvovirus and EBV and CMV without being conclusive of connective tissue or thyroid disease.  A cone beam ct scan revealed an inflammatory process in the sinus above the implant and apical periodontal inflammation on the tooth behind the implant which was also giving me night fevers.  I have since had the root canal retreated on the tooth that was being blamed for my mouth discomfort.  This has resulted in a 100% improvement in the pain and feverish feeling emanating from THAT tooth, but I still have an strange irritating sensation emanating from the implant that extends to the cheek, nostril, and eye above the implant.  I have a feeling the implant is the cause of the mouth trouble and wondering if it is the cause of my neurological symptoms as well.  My physical activity has been reduced to a minimum compared to the level of physical activity previous to the surgery.  I wonder if the implant does not show the typical symptoms of rejection because of nightly bronchial and nasal steroid inhalations.  The implant looks good on scans and xrays.  I am not so good.  I am living a life of an inactive person because I have no tolerance for exercise.  I love to exercise and my dogs need a walk!!!  Today I went for a lower back MRI and had a hard time holding still because of feeling crampy and cold.

All of the docs say it is a coincidence that any of my problems started shortly after receiving the implant.  I have sent blood in for the Melisa test, but wonder if a reaction will show being I was not able to refrain from using inhalers for five days.  The implant has adhered to the bone and looks "perfect".  I am ready to get it out and praying I can return to my normal level of activity.  Is there anyone out there with some information that could help?

Am I the only one????  I don't think the ADA or the implant manufacturers want to investigate the possibility of this lucrative procedure being a problem for anyone, so it is hard to find any data supporting my suspicion.  

Thanks.

[smileynow]

Hi, terrybrown12! Did your autoimmune issues improve after removal of the titanium implant?  

[terrybrown12]

Yes they should have the records.Also if you want to get it removed its best for the surgeon to know the type of implant. I had mine put in 2008 and they still had the records. I really had to rely on my intuition to have mine removed as I was not getting the support from anyone except my husband and the two dentists I eventually found that supported me. My intution was right. It was a long journey, and im am glad it is over!

[Bluebird22]

Thank you for these articles and information!  Sorry about your tinnitus, Ilenpie.  I have had ringing in my ears every day after losing almost all of the hearing in my left ear - suddenly in 2011.  This was about 3 years after placement of my titanium dental implant. The ear affected is on the same side as my implant.  I was diagnosed with a chronic case of Lyme disease several months following my hearing loss, but I am still searching for answers... I have a hunch that my implant is playing a role in all of this.

Since the hearing loss, I have had all of my mercury fillings safely replaced with non-mercury materials, had an infected tooth (root canaled) extracted right next to the implant and have been to 4 oral surgeons about having the implant removed.  Not one of them is willing to do this, including Dr. C in Philadelphia - who does not think my health would improve once it is removed based on his experience of implant removals.  He even thinks it might be traumatic to my jaw to remove it.  

But how can all of my symptoms be explained?  I have buzzing, tingling, burning, bug crawling sensations, and sometimes extreme jaw and dental pain all in this area.  (I also have these symptoms all over my body now, but definitely more pronounced in my left jaw).  

My body is testing high in aluminum and cadmium (not sure what is causing this!)  I also have the MTHFR defect so am very concerned about the heavy metals in my body. My levels are coming down for mercury and arsenic after chelating gently over the past year or two.  But I am very concerned about the high levels of aluminum and cadmium and will be chelating these ASAP.

I have recently started some strong Lyme herbs and Rife treatment after failing to see any improvement with antibiotics and other herbs.  The new treatment is definitely affecting me - as I have more fatigue, flu-like symptoms which are likely Jarish Herxheimer reactions.  The interesting thing is that my tinnitus seems to be calming down soon after the Rife treatments.  But I have become much more symptomatic in the vicinity of my left jaw and ear.  I am just waiting for the implant to fall out of the bone one day with all of the symptoms I have that are not visible in xrays and cat scans!

Does anyone here know how I could go about finding out the exact make up of the titanium implant that I had placed?  If I called the oral surgeon who did the surgery (I would never go back to him), do you think they would have the records as far back as 2008?  I want to find out if it contains aluminum and cadmium!

[smileynow]

I might add the entire concept of lodging a piece of metal in the skull that is known to leach aluminum is one of the worst ideas in modern dentistry.    

A genetic mutation thought to be present in a significant percentage of the population (MTHFR) renders the affected individuals unable to process toxins efficiently, especially heavy metals.  

[Ilenepie]

I had one implant put in 7 weeks ago. After 3 weeks, developed on/off tinnitus; at 6 weeks tinnitus (ringing in ears) is non-stop. At more than 6 weeks, developed joint pain in hips. My surgeon said tinnitus coincidental. I expect to have it out before more things go wrong.

Fluoride corrodes titanium, as you note. But surgeons are not advising people not to use fluoride. I've been brushing my implant and all my teeth with fluoride until yesterday. Check out the research on fluoride and titanium implants and you'll see a lot, even though my surgeon insisted not a problem.

Everyone needs to report problems having/had to FDA. Otherwise they'll continue to say titanium dental implants are free of problems. We need to document so other don't suffer like us.

Let me just say I think I have a good surgeon. The titanium implant is the problem, not the surgeon.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16734365
http://www.rdhmag.com/articles/print/volume-33/issue-9/features/focus-on-implant-home-care.html
http://www.crestprohealth.com/pro-health-faq/ - my toothpaste. it corrodes titanium. been brushing my mouth and implant with it.
http://www.dental-tribune.com/articles/news/europe/9437_titanium_implants_may_carry_risk_of_corrosion.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12500173 study speaks to  removal of  metals and also refers to implants

tinnitus
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0940960211001993

Use Google Scholar. Much research on titanium dental implant.

[jodiett]

Complain, complain, complain - your dentist must have some sort of professional body you can bring this up with-  - and leave reviews on public sites.  I only discovered recently here in UK we can put in a complaint online to the Care Quality Commission which will bring up the issue with the dentist on the next inspection.