Q. Hi Dr Moore I am 62 years of age. I have lost all my lower right side molers, including the canine. The bone is very thin on this side and an Implantologist locally has said he would have to give me a cross between an implant and a denture on this side. The other problem is that I have lost all my left upper molars except one premolar. Therefore I cannot use my molars for chewing at all. I am using my front teeth for chewing at present. I realise that the front top teeth are doing more work than they have ever done in my whole life and the backs of the four main front teeth are wearing thin. Soon I will have to think about crowns as well as implants. However I’ve just been on Dr Mercola’s website from America and he says we must not have any kind of metal or titanium in our implants because these will cause health problems long term. I had my mercury fillings removed years ago, however I realise mercury can still be in the tissues years later. Have you any suggestions of where I can go from here? The idea of a denture/implant does not appeal to me very much. Your expert advice will be very much appreciated.
A. I would stay clear of non-titanium implants as these have a very poor track record especially in jaws of low bone volume. Titanium is a very predictable material with very low levels of complications. I would speak to your implantologist and ask for a CT scan to measure the bone prior to starting any treatment.
Dr Andrew Moore
Advance Dental Clinic
104 Moulsham Street, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 0JG
Web: www.advancedentalclinic.com Tel: 01245 268 494
