Implant Patient has Persistent Metal Taste in Mouth: Recommendations?

posted in Dental Implant Complications, Surgical Placement of Dental Implants, en

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Anon. Asks:
On 5/5/09 I placed a Zimmer implant at #10 with no flap in a very atraumatic placement and placed a metal healing cap in a 32 yo male in good health. I have known the patient since he was 8 years old and he called the office and stated that he had a metal taste within 2 hours of the surgery.

On 5/14/09 I placed a Zimmer temporary plastic abutment and placed a 3M plastic temp crown filled with 3M composite on the abutment. The patient was taking Buspar once daily for anxiety and a multivitamin. He was put on Pen VK 500 on 5/5/09. Subsequent to this appointment the patient still has the metal taste as well as pain and throbbing.

I told him to stop all medications and placed him on Vicodin ES. There is absolutely no contact with the temporary in occlusion and the tissue looks perfect with no sign of infection whatsoever. The patient is going out of his mind and wants me to take the temporary off. I am perplexed and not sure what to do. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I know that I can get rid of the pain but the metal taste is a different question. Thank you for any advice.








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4 Responses to “ Implant Patient has Persistent Metal Taste in Mouth: Recommendations? ”

  • A.Romano dr. med.dr .dent. italy May 22nd, 2009

    the best posithion than you can take is to take away the temporary plastic abutement to calm himsef and to do an anhother procdure .

    you can cover the implant with copalite lining and see in the next days if the simptom goes away.

    otherways you must consider if the healing metal cup is electrical in contrast with the titanium implant or otherwise if the patient have any restoration or crowns of wich metal?

  • Dr.V May 26th, 2009

    you can check this web page
    http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/sym/metallic_taste.htm#intro. Maybe is not Implant related

  • Dr.Mehdi Jafari May 27th, 2009

    Check the patient for Giardia Lamblia infection.The chronic type is aways accompanied by Iron-Deficiency anemia and metallic taste in mouth.

  • dr. shah May 29th, 2009

    have u prescribed any antibiotic post op, that can lead to this metallic taste. ?
    generally, cipro tini combinations are known to cause some metallic taste

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